The Noble Thief
by sparklycider
Summary: In the early 1950s Simon Seville is the best detective in the city of Edison. A mysterious thief is running amok in the city, stealing from the rich and it is Simon's mission to capture this bespectacled thief. But is this little thief on a noble quest?
1. Chapter 1

So the nagging in my head finally got to me. I broke down and wrote it. *brick'd* Practice is always good I guess. Anyway this story is sort of like an episode from the series where one of the chipmunks dreams that they're in some crazy awesome adventure. Simon always seems to fit the bill of detective so here you go. I do not own Alvin and the Chipmunks or any of its characters. It belongs to Ross and Janice Bagdasarian.

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><p>"Alvin, what is that?"<p>

"What's what?" The red-capped chipmunk asked, guiltily hiding something behind his back.

"That!" Theodore exclaimed, peering behind his brother at a sparkly bauble.

"It appears to be a bracelet," Simon remarked without much interest, flipping a page of his book. The three brothers were in the kitchen; Simon was reading at the table, Theodore had come down for a sandwich (or five), and Alvin had just run in through the kitchen door out of breath.

"Ok, ok so it's a bracelet." Alvin said, holding out the golden hoop in mock defeat. "So what?"

"Where did ya get it?" Theodore asked with a mouthful of bologna sandwich.

"It look familiar…" Simon remarked, looking away from his book and eyeing the bracelet suspiciously.

"Don't be silly Simon!" Alvin stuttered with a sheepish grin.

_'Oh boy…'_ Thought Simon, rolling his eyes.

"I uh- found it! Yeah that's right! On the ground! In a hole. In a tree!"

"How can you find it on the ground in a tree?" Theodore squeaked, trying to wrap his brain around the concept.

"You can't, Theodore." Simon said, shutting his book with a thump and jumping off the chair. "He stole it." He glared at his brother.

"W-what?" Alvin shouted sounding scandalized. He theatrically clutched his hand over his heart. "How can you, my dear brother, accuse me of such a crime! I am hurt!"

"Not as hurt as you will be if Brittany finds out that you took her bracelet." Came a small voice.

There, peering out from the kitchen door, glasses crooked, hair sticking out of her poorly put together bun, and socks pooled around her ankles was a green eyed chipette. She offered a shy smile.

"Jeanette!" The boys shouted in surprise, Alvin more horrified than surprised.

"Haven't you heard of knocking?" Alvin retorted. "And I don't know what you're talking about."

"I saw you taking it out of her jewelry box ten minutes ago." Jeanette replied, not accusingly but matter-of-factly.

"I-i-it's n-not what you think!" Alvin shouted suddenly defensive, like a kid caught stealing money from his mom's purse.

"I'm sure it is," Simon said sarcastically.

"Brittany is throwing a fit!" Jeanette complained, stepping into the kitchen sheepishly, like she wasn't sure if it was ok. "Eleanor almost had to tackle her to keep her from tearing apart the room. I need that back." She put out a hand expectantly, for the bracelet.

"Well…" Alvin said, clutching the bracelet. "Does she need it now?" He asked lamely.

"Alvin just give back the stupid bracelet." Simon said. Sometimes his brother was hopeless.

"Dave wouldn't be happy if he found out." Theodore said, spewing crumbs from his mouth.

"And I can't guarantee I won't tell Dave." Simon said, folding his arms.

"All right! All right!" Alvin relented, throwing his arms up in the air. "Traitors!"

"Thank you!" Jeanette said in relief, plucking the piece of jewelry out of his fingers.

"Don't tell Brittany I took it!" Alvin pleaded.

"I won't." Jeanette nodded. She headed for the door, stumbling slightly as her shoe got caught on a floppy sock. She adjusted herself sheepishly. "Bye Theodore, Alvin!" She said, backing out the door.

"Bye!"

Alvin just grumbled incoherently.

Jeanette turned her gaze toward Simon, who suddenly felt that his face had gotten the tiniest bit warmer. "Bye Simon." She said softly, with a bashful smile, shutting the door before he could reply.

"Bye, Jeanette…" He said to the door, feeling somewhat bashful himself. Whenever it came to Jeanette something about her clever, timid and somewhat klutzy personality he became, well, just as timid and klutzy, at least in his head. Occasionally she would surprise him with bursts of forwardness or bravery and would always be there to comfort him. He supposed that was one of her many charms.

Snapping out of his thoughts, he turned to Alvin who was still muttering angrily to his sneakers, hands shoved in his pockets. "What did you take the bracelet for anyway?" Simon asked, inquisitively, pushing his blue coke bottle glasses up higher.

Suddenly Alvin's face was as red as his hat. "Nothing!" He shouted, jumping out of his angry musing. "I was just gonna take it and then you know… and then Brittany would… Nevermind!" He stomped out of the kitchen.

"What was that?" Theodore asked, working on his third sandwich.

"I stopped trying to predict Alvin years ago." Simon replied, uninterested, but amused by his brothers flustered reaction. He hopped back up to the chair at the table. He eyed Theodore. "Are you going to eat all those sandwiches?"

He looked at the bread in his hand. "No." He said, although his tone clearly implied he had planned on it. "I was…" He paused waiting for inspiration. "I was going to take some to Eleanor!" He exclaimed, sounding and looking very happy with the idea. He snatched up the sandwiches on the counter and went out the door with a skip.

"Finally some peace!" Simon said, opening up his book. He loved his brothers but to say they didn't grate on his nerves would be an understatement. Particularly when it came to Alvin and his schemes.

He turned his attention to his book about famous detectives and criminals in history. He sat at that table for a good hour flipping through the pages with dedicated focus.

However at the end of the hour Simon noticed that it was dark now and his head was bobbing and his eyes were blinking blearily as he fought a loosing battle against the Sandman. Soon Simon Seville was snoozing at the table, his head resting on the book like it was a pillow, dreaming.

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><p>Can you guess what he will dream about?<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

"It's the fifth robbery this month, Simon." The man said, throwing sheets of case files on the table. "All from the same person." The dark haired man shook his head in frustration.

Simon Seville sat at his desk in a small cramped office that consisted of a single window directly behind him, a desk, a coat rack, and multiple file cabinets cramped against the walls. The room was dark but the faint light cast shadows across every object

Simon wore a trench coat over a blue collared shirt and black trousers. He sighed and took off his glasses and slowly cleaned them with a handkerchief. "Commissioner Dave," He said. "I understand that these robberies are a problem but I don't work for the police. I only undertake personal cases. I can't help you I'm afraid."

"Please Simon." Dave pleaded. "This thief is trouble. No one has even gotten close to capture this crook. You're one of the best detectives in the country. If its you there is no doubt you could capture this cat burglar."

Simon frowned and put his glasses on and picked up a file. "The Noble Thief?" He read in confusion from the file.

"That is what the public has dubbed him." Dave said hesitantly. "A sort of Robin Hood of sorts. Stealing from the rich and such."

"Him?" Simon inquired, raising an eyebrow at the police commissioner. "So it is a man?" He gave a wry smile. Simon knew what the answer would be.

"Are saying it could be a woman?" Dave said incredulously. "Surely you jest Simon! A woman! Stealing valuables in the dead of night? Nonsense!" Dave chuckled.

"I never rule out anything, no matter how ridiculous." Simon remarked. He eyed the papers. This thief surely was a clever one. She was as evasive as a cat, dashing across roofs, slipping in unseen, and putting on a show when snatching the object before escaping into the night. Either this thief was smart or showoff. Probably both. A challenge.

"All right." Simon said finally. "I'll assist you in this case until the thief is arrested. Just this once."

"Thank you Simon!" Dave said excited. He put out his hand. "I hope we can work together well. You have our permission to investigate where you like."

Simon leaned across the desk and shook his hand. _'Where ever?'_ He thought. He liked the sound of that. "You got it."

"Good." Dave put on his navy cap. "I will call when we need you. In the meantime you could try investigating by yourself. Also I will need you to cooperate with the police chief. You will be working together occasionally."

Simon grimaced as Dave left. He didn't like working with other people. Most didn't even know what they were doing and none had the smarts he did. He was fairly certain that he could snare this thief.

He studied the files again. This so called Noble Thief had stolen a priceless Faberge egg, a golden necklace, a crown known as Aquila, a painting, and an ornate snow globe. "A varied list of items indeed." He mused. "All taken from the richest and most famous people in town, but for what I wonder?" He fidgeted with his glasses as he studied the clues trying to put them together. Unfortunately there wasn't enough here to go on. Not even a picture.

"Can't count on the police anymore." He sighed, tossing the papers onto desk and got up out of his chair. He was going to have to do this himself.

He plucked his hat off the coat rack and headed out the door. It had a frosted glass window with the words 'Simon Seville: Detective' printed in black across it. He shut the door and walked down the steps of the building down to the street.

It was an average day in Edison. Old fashioned cars slowly rolled down the street, and people went about their business on the wide cobbled sidewalks. Buildings walled, similar to the one Simon stood at the front steps of, in the streets with shops and apartments just like every block. Men in crisp suits and hats were heading to work and woman in sunny dresses were out shopping.

As he stepped onto the sidewalk lost in thoughts and hypothesis he didn't realized a figure that was sprinting down the cobblestones dodging people.

"Look out!" The figure shouted, snapping Simon out of his musing but it was too late. The figure hit Simon with a solid thud and a cry and the two of them fell to the ground like a car brining down a streetlight. The files in his hand flew from his grip.

"Whoa…" Simon said sitting up holding his spinning head. "I feel like I was just hit by a bus."

"Sorry!" Squeaked a voice. Simon looked up to see a chipette with brown disheveled hair and squinting green eyes, on the sitting on the ground in front of him. She held her head as well. She wore an indigo dress seemingly two sizes too big that was cinched at the waist with a belt. She wore large socks that hung from her ankles like wrinkles from a pug and her hair was poorly swept up into a bun with a blue ribbon.

"Um I think you have my glasses." She said hesitantly pointing at Simon's head.

He reached a hand to the top of his head and sure enough a pair of large, round, pink glasses had somehow flown off her face on to his had.

"Oh. Here you are." He said offering her the specs.

"Thank you," She said, shyly taking them from his hand and placing them on her face. She blinked a few times.

"Oh no!" She groaned, looking at the ground. A large paper bag, almost half her size had spilled its contents of several muffins on to the ground.

"I'm terribly sorry!" Simon apologized, fixing his askew glasses and picking up the muffins and dropping them back into the bag.

"No, no, no!" The chipette protested wildly, picking up the muffins as well. "I was the one running around like a maniac." Her eyes looked up at his face and she blushed and looked away embarrassed. Simon smiled slightly.

"Well here." He handed her the bag of muffins. "Sorry for the muffins." He stood and offered her a hand up.

"Don't be!" She tentatively reached for his hand. "I was just trying to get them down to the… Oh no I'm going to be late!" She hopped up off the ground, without Simon's help, and took off down the block. Skidding to a halt she turned around and pulled a muffin out of the bag and placed it in Simon's hand.

"An apology muffin!" She called, turning back into a run.

He studied it. "I don't like bran…" But as he watched her run around the corner at a diagonal slant he shrugged and munched the muffin. Well there was breakfast. He chuckled.

"Now lets see what was I doing…" He said picking up the papers on the ground.

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><p>I tried to keep them in character. Harder to do than I thought. School started up again so updates won't be this fast. I will finish though! Reviews are appreciated.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

I spent awhile tweaking the chapter and in the end I'm still not completely happy with it but… here you go. : ) A bit longer this time. I don't own Alvin and the Chipmunks.

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><p>Simon fidgeted with his glasses impatiently. He sat in a sparse, dimly lit café at a table that looked out into the street from a large picture window. A long since discarded newspaper lay folded neatly on the table and a cup of drained coffee sat on top. The sky was dusted pink with the coming of sunset.<p>

"He's late…" He muttered with a sour look and checked his watch. "Very late."

At that moment the bell above the entrance rang out as someone swung the café doors open hard. At the door, gasping for breath, stood a short, chubby chipmunk decked out in shiny new officer garb and a his cap had almost slipped off his head, and hung on only by his ear. The few people in the restaurant looked up at the scene before tactfully turning away when they saw the shiny gold badge on his uniform.

The breathless chipmunk looked around before spying Simon sitting motionless at his table. "Simon Seville I presume?" The chipmunk asked approaching the table.

"Depends on who is asking." Simon replied, even though the second he saw that badge he knew exactly who this pudgy chipmunk was.

"Police Chief Theodore at your service!" He saluted sharply although still a bit winded.

"Seville. Simon Seville."

"You don't need to introduce yourself!" Theodore grinned. "I know exactly who you are!"

"I'm flattered, but we need to talk about the case."

"Right!" Theodore said, his expression turning serious as he took a seat. As Theodore ordered from the waitress that approached the table, Simon took the opportunity to study his cohort. He was clearly an optimistic character and perhaps a little naïve but he could see some vigor and energy in his green eyes. Judging from the new uniform and the shinny new badge he had just been assigned as police chief and… Good Lord how much food was he ordering?

"And a Reuben sandwich." Theodore finished, looking over the menu. The waitress had been scribbling his order furiously looking a bit frazzled. His eyes lit up. "Oh and a cup of coffee." The waitress took the menu from the little chipmunk.

"I missed lunch." Theodore explained though Simon thought that hardly allowed two grilled cheese sandwiches, pastrami on rye, chocolate milk and a Reuben. The cup of coffee was excusable.

"So you are the new police chief?" Simon asked.

"Yes!" Theodore exclaimed. "I just started today. Sorry I'm late. There was a robbery that I had to respond to." He looked genuinely apologetic.

"Not a problem." Simon said, waving it off despite his previous annoyance. Somehow it was hard to have any negative emotions towards this fellow. "I called you here because I have some… interesting new evidence." He eyed the files on the table.

As Theodore picked up the manila folder Simon explained. "I paid a visit to the victims. Very rich, very secure in their status. However, it would appear that they have their fair share of crimes."

"Embezzling, bribery, black market deals, good Lord!" Theodore's eyes grew wider as he read out each word. "Are you sure?"

"They appeared very shifty when I paid each of them a visit. It was suspicious enough for me to look into it. Every item this noble thief has stolen was taken through just as illegal means. The Faberge egg was stolen and the painting was taken straight from the artist himself." Simon shook his head in disgust.

"Why haven't the police heard of this?" Theodore squeaked.

"Money talks. Or rather doesn't cause talk. So it explains why this thief isn't stealing any other valuables. This thief is only interested in going after stolen goods. What an impressive thief."

Theodore shook his head. "A thief is a thief. He is still stealing items for himself. Two wrongs don't make a right."

"Are we so sure _he _is stealing them for personal gain?" Simon asked rhetorically.

Theodore was silent, his face twisted in confusion as he tried to think of an answer as the waitress placed a cup of coffee in front of him. "Are you?" He finally asked.

"No actually." Simon said with a frown. "Its difficult to say. But you're right. A thief is a thief." He paused for a moment as we watched Theodore eagerly dive into the grilled cheese sandwich on his plate. "Why did you join the police force?" He asked.

Theodore answered without hesitation, "To do good obviously," he said with his mouth filled with gooey melted cheese and bread.

"To do good huh?" Simon muttered. _'He won't be so bad to work with.' _He thought with a faint smile.

"Well enjoy your meal." Simon said, getting up.

"You're leaving?" Theodore asked, sounding disappointed like he was being left behind.

"It's getting late. We'll be working together until we catch this vigilante thief. Don't forget to let me know when you get a lead."

"You got it!" He grinned.

He left the chipmunk to his dinner and set down the street for home._ 'Better yet some sleep.'_ He thought. Nothing sounded better after being barked at by fat old ladies decked out in more ornaments than a Christmas tree and men whom you couldn't trust as far as you could throw them. All of them seemed insulted at the slightest question and denied them vehemently before telling him to get out of their sight.

"Time for a long sleep." He sighed, staring up at the darkening sky as the faint round moon started to materialize.

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><p>Sleep would have to wait for Simon, because crime never sleeps. Simon was startled awake to the loud ring of the phone on his bedside table. He almost fell off the mattress and onto the floor.<p>

"Hello?" He said, into the receiver, too groggy to be angry.

"Simon! Simon?" Shouted a voice on the other end.

"Who is this?" He asked, still only half conscious.

"It's me Theodore!" The voice squeaked on the phone. "It's the Noble Thief! We got him trapped!"

That slapped him fully awake. "You what?" He shouted. _'That was a short case.' _He thought in amazement.

"He was caught in the act of the stealing from Wayland Manor! He is hiding out in the house and we've got the place surrounded!" Theodore sounded almost hysterical on the phone.

"I'm on my way!" Simon called, throwing the sheets off and started hunting for his evasive glasses. He glanced at his watch. It was 1:00 AM.

"Why can't thieves work at a decent hour?" Simon groaned.

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><p>In a ten minutes Simon has hopping out of a taxi to Wayland Manor, owned by the largest business tycoon in the city. Police cruisers and men running around in navy blue uniforms were surrounding the ornate mansion with flashlights and searchlight. Every window, every door, and just about every other opening on the premise seemed to be covered by an officer. Some were even scanning the upper windows. All the lights within the building were on and Simon could see shadows running about inside.<p>

"Any luck?" Simon asked, coming up behind Theodore who jumped a foot in the air and dropped the donut that was in his hand. Commissioner Dave stood next to him.

"Awww…" Theodore looked at the now dirt covered donut solemnly. He bent down to pick it up.

"Don't eat the donut Theodore." Dave sighed. "And no, Simon not yet." Dave replied. "But we're tearing apart the entire place. Mr. Wayland is throwing a fit but not even he can oppose this investigation."

"Hiding out in the house hmm?" Simon commented, studying the house. "What was stolen?"

"We don't know." Theodore responded. "Mr. Wayland seems a bit… on edge about it though." The two chipmunks exchanged glances.

Dave cleared his throat and looked back towards the house, "In any case it's game over for this moonlighter. Better get the handcuffs and a jail cell ready for this fellow."

_'Moonlight…'_ Simon thought as his sharp intuition kicked in. His eyes caught something on the roof, something faintly reflecting the pale light of the moon. His eyes widened in realization.

"Theodore get me a ladder!" He exclaimed.

"What?" The chipmunk replied looking baffled.

"Just do it and meet me over there!" Simon pointed to the left side of the building where the taller mansion met the smaller two story homes, separated by a wall of brick.

"How am I supposed to find a ladder?" Theodore wailed.

Simon stood under the brick wall waiting impatiently, yet again, until Theodore hurried over with a ladder.

"Where did you find this?" Simon asked, as Theodore propped it against the wall.

"I took it from the garage. Don't tell Dave." Theodore whispered.

Simon didn't respond but just climbed up the ladder. He balanced himself carefully on the top of the wall as reached for the edge of the roof on the house over. It was taller that him, his fingertips could just brush the ledge, but that wasn't a hard jump.

With a small moment of hesitation and eyeing the uncomfortable ground below he jumped out from the wall. A hand slipped from the roof and his heart flew to his mouth for a few seconds but his other hand held tight.

"Are you all right?" Theodore called from bellow.

"Just peachy!" Simon grunted as he pulled himself to the roof. The houses in Edison all were close together and the spine of the roofs were wide almost like they were made for scaling and jumping to and fro.

He lay flat against the slant of the roof as he looked up at what he saw from the ground. Sure enough it was a skylight, the perfect escape for the thief to flee the scene by way of shingle jumping. It was up higher, at least by another story, and spaced out but from this angle and with a good running start it could be leaped easily.

Just then the skylight shattered, the moon shinning on the glass suddenly going dark as the skylight fell away to pieces.

"He's escaping through the skylight!" Called a voice from inside the house.

A hooded, short, shadowy figure, dressed all in black appeared, pulling itself onto the roof. The figure was short and petite and a little unsteady on its feet. Something glittered magnificently in the hands of the thief.

Simon watched as the thief backed up hesitantly, shuffled footing carefully before racing down the roof and sailing off of the edge, arms splayed out like a paratrooper. The thief landed a little less elegantly, hitting the roof in a roll and tumbled down the side of the roof opposite where Simon lay.

He watched as slowly the thief scrambled back up to ridge of the roof, arms draped over it. It wasn't long till the thief flinched as he saw Simon hiding almost in plain sight, revealed by the light of the moon.

_'Now or never!'_ He thought, tensing like cat a preparing to pounce as the thief tried to jump into a run. He threw himself at the thief, tackling him at the shoulders. They crashed into the tiling.

The two rolled down the slant of the roof like a barrel rolling down hill. The momentum of the fall and a solid shove on the thief's part abruptly sent Simon flying. He yelled in surprise as he sailed over the edge of the roof, the ground suddenly coming into view.

"Aw nuts…"

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><p>I suck at writing action scenes. So I decided to put everybody in the story so enjoy Police Chief Theodore. Next chapter? A New Client.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

Faster update this time. I don't own the Chipmunks.

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><p>"Aw nuts." Simon exclaimed, as he started to drop. He flung out an arm desperately and barely caught the gutter by an inch. The gutter groaned dangerously and something skittered down the roof and into the gutter on his left. His skin prickled in a spike of fear under his fur. His shoulders complained at the sudden jerk in his arms. And he lost his hat.<p>

He eyed the ground like a pool of sharks. He was dangling two stories off the ground, at least 20 stories or so.

_'Hmmm well if I let go and didn't land on my head, back, face, arms, or feet… All right lets face it I'm going to break something.'_ His fingers were slipping faster than his brain could think of a solution. He couldn't pull him self up like this, but maybe if he shouted loud enough to get Theodore's attention…

Just as his now sweaty finger began to slide off the metal a gloved hand clamped down on his wrist. He looked up in surprise to see the thief's face directly above him, eyes squinting like he was blinded.

"Hang on!" The thief cried in a muffled voice. The thief had the collar of a black turtleneck pulled up over his nose and a black hoodie that hid most of his face in shadows.

_'Perhaps I should say her…'_ Simon thought. The voice was high-pitched, even more so than his own, which was surprising being a chipmunk and all, but Simon could her the feminine tone in it.

He obliged with her suggestion and wrapped his fingers around her wrist. They were slim and delicate and he was afraid he would snap her hand off.

"Are you sure you can do this?" Simon asked nervously.

The thief nodded as she yanked hard at his arm.

"Whoa wait are you trying to pull my arm out?" Simon retorted as his arm complained loudly. The thief made a tiny 'hmmmf' sound and sat down on the roof, braced her feet against the gutter and held out her other hand.

As he relinquished his grip on the gutter and took hold of her hand a sparkle at her side caught his attention. There, looking almost celestial set against the dingy black of the roof tiles, a gem the size of a gumball, faceted with numerous faces, and glittering proudly even in the faint moonlight sat Capella.

Capella was a priceless sapphire jewel, one of a kind and sought after by any person who had a taste for shiny things. Which basically was everyone. More importantly in Simon's mind however, was the fact that it was stolen from the Edison Geological Museum a month ago.

"Where did you get that?" Simon called out, and then felt stupid. He knew perfectly where she got that.

Her eyes shifted to look at it and instead of answering she gripped his wrists tight and pulled hard. Her heels digging into the gutter were the only thing keeping her from toppling over the edge with Simon. It was clear from the amount of effort she was giving that strength was not her forte. Simon might as well have been a bag of bricks. She was almost sitting as she pulled him up.

When Simon was halfway up the roof, his stomach resting on the gutter now, the thief turned threw away his hands like they were a pair of snakes, snatched up the jewel, and stumbled away leaping over roofs a little less gracefully than Simon imagined. She vanished over the horizon.

He pulled himself up the rest of the way and sat for a minute, rubbing at his raw wrists. Those gloves she had been wearing were some sort of scratchy wool. It couldn't have been comfortable at all.

It only just then occurred to him that this thief, an enemy of the police, a crook, a cat robber, a person that was supposed to have no decent morals… had just saved him at the risk of getting caught. As he fixed his glasses, which had been more than just a little askew (the frames were tangled in his hair somehow) he realized that Noble Thief might have been a more apt title than he thought.

"And a girl no less!" He said aloud.

He shook his head and chuckled before he checked his watch, found his fallen hat and hunted for a way off the roof. Hopefully Theodore still had that ladder. However, for all of Simon's genius and observation skills he managed to miss one crucial thing. A pair of crushed pink glasses in the gutter with the lenses splintered into spider web cracks that glimmered with reflected moonlight.

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><p>This wasn't what she wanted to be doing at the ungodly hour of 2:00 AM. Running through the city dressed all in black, blind as a bat, and with a stolen gemstone as dazzling as the stars themselves. She expected the police to be on her heels at any moment but it was as silent as space. It didn't make her feel much better.<p>

It was only when the church came into view that she felt her nervousness fly away and she eagerly sprinted the last few feet to an iron fence surrounding a tiny courtyard with a statue of an angel in the middle. She scaled the bars clumsily and slowly; the adrenaline rush from her criminal acts was spent. All that was left was her gasping lungs and the feeling that there was a piece of lead wedged into her heart.

When she was halfway down the other side she couldn't find the strength or will to hold on and simply allowed herself to flop into the chapel courtyard, leaning back on the gate. Her hood had long since fallen down and she had pulled her collar back down to her neck to take long deep breaths of oxygen. Her hair was more messy than normal.

"Jeanette!" Came a voice, followed by the sound of hurried steps coming down the single hallway that connected the courtyard to the inside of the abbey.

A short, curvy, slightly chubby chipette dressed in a green robe came running from the hallway, blonde big tails bouncing.

"Are you all right? Are you hurt? Where are you glasses?" She exclaimed, coming up to Jeanette.

"Fine, no, and on someone's roof." Jeanette replied in order, in a watered down bitter tone. "I can't keep doing this Eleanor."

"What do you mean?"

"I was this close to being caught!" Jeanette pinched her fingers together. "This close!"

"What? By who?"

"A detective…" Jeanette sighed.

"Did he see you?" Eleanor asked, worriedly.

_'Depends when you're referring to.'_ Jeanette thought, thinking about the muffin incident. What were the odds? She thought it better than to tell Eleanor.

"I don't think so. I had my hood up and my collar pulled up."

"Good! That means you're safe!" Sighed Eleanor in relief.

"This would be easier if I was the amazing acrobat and athlete you are. I trip over my own two feet." Jeanette said in exasperation

"I know Jeanette, I know but you plan out every detail. Your smarts do you better than my acrobatics. Of course it helps I taught you not to fall off roofs. Did you manage to get it?"

"Of course."

"Jeanette… Don't you want to stop? If you almost got caught…"

Stop? Could she stop? All these people… All the people that were wronged and ought to be righted… Maybe she should? The rich and famous were slime balls that thought they could take anything from anyone. Through any means. Jeanette couldn't let that pass. But with that bespectacled detective around… She blushed for a moment despite herself.

"You're probably right." Jeanette said finally. "It won't take long for that detective to realize that I escape to the abbey after every heist."

"Promise me that the next heist will be the last?" Eleanor asked.

"On the new moon." Jeanette nodded, and then hesitated. "Only if there is nothing new before then."

"Jeanette…" Eleanor said, solemnly. "Soon you won't be able to stop! You'll just keep going and then you'll get captured by the police or worse. Fine. Promise." Jeanette nodded, sliding her gaze away guiltily. "What can I do Jeanette? There is always someone who needs help."

Eleanor crossed her arms. "You need to find a better way to do it." She huffed, before relenting with a smile. "All right come in then. It's chilly out. You can head back to Miller Mansion in the morning after you return Capella."

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><p><em>'Noble Thief Strikes Again! Stolen Capella Returned to Museum! Harry Wayland Arrested!' <em>The headlines were all over every newspaper in the city the next morning, one of which Simon was reading over a cup of coffee in his cramped office.

"How do you like that?" Simon muttered. "She steals it and then gives it back to the rightful owner. So that's her prerogative?"

He stifled a yawn as he sipped at his cup of caffeine. A single cup of coffee wouldn't reclaim the sleep he lost last night. After confronting Harry Wayland, a slime ball chipmunk with beady eyes, about the Capella everything came spilling out in a jumble of words. He begged not to be arrested, and screamed and kicked all the way to the police station according to Theodore.

"His career is over." He had told Simon. "All that money is going to a better cause and all the things he has stolen and swindled will be returned."

"Nice to see justice prevail for once." Simon smiled. "Thanks to that girl." His smile fell.

That was another difficult question. The thief. He would still have to capture her. Hero or not vigilantes were not very well liked by the police. Female or not.

When he told Dave that is was indeed a girl the man turned ashen and made at least a dozen phone calls and immediately began writing this info down. Simon didn't have much to offer other than saying she was petite and her hair color was dark, that Simon was sure of. It was hard to tell under the hood exactly what color.

This thief was indeed a mystery and clearly had good intentions. Maybe he should just… He shook his head. _'No.' _He thought stubbornly. _'She needs to be caught whether she is doing good or not. But why?' _It didn't make much sense in his head either but something in his chest told him that he needed to catch this thief.

A quick rap at the door startled him out of a book, something about cats being put in a box (he wasn't really paying attention anyway). He paused and didn't answer as if to confirm something. It didn't sound like Theodore or Dave. A client maybe?

This time there was a bang. "Helloooooo?" Shouted a voice on the other side.

"I should just throw myself out the window right now." Simon grumbled, knowing that kind of voice couldn't be good news. "Come in!" He called.

The door swung open to reveal the picture of self-importance. A chipette, fashionably dressed in a stunning (borderline unreasonable) pink dress, sky-high heels, sun hat, and feathers that looked impossibly out of place in his office. Simon felt like a bird of paradise had just flown through the window.

Despite her outfit, which Simon regarded as gaudy, she was beautiful with ginger hair and baby blue eyes that she batted under thick lashes. He could almost smell the money on her and Simon could tell that she was impossible to get along with.

"Are you Simon Seville?" She demanded.

"Depends on who is asking." He retorted, reclining back in his chair.

"Brittany Miller, millionaire." She announced proudly. "And I have a job for you."

* * *

><p>No Jeanette and Eleanor aren't nuns. Well Eleanor was supposed to be but… Never mind. I'll explain why they're at a church later. If you're upset that you know Jeanette is the thief (as if it weren't obvious) that isn't the real mystery. *bwhahah* Reviews are appreciated dearly. Suggestions are nice too.<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

Oh my god sorry for the wait!

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><p>"Brittany Miller?" Simon exclaimed. "The heiress of the Miller Mansion?"<p>

"The very same. Please no pictures." She said despite giving a movie star pose.

Brittany Miller was very well known throughout the city. Her very name was the definition of style, sophistication, and money. People either spoke about her with admiration or with envy. She was the gem of high society and flaunted it.

"What kind of job?" Simon asked, skeptically. He hadn't gotten a very good opinion of rich people lately.

"A job is job isn't it? I promise it pays well. More than you can make in your life. Now I expect to see yo-"

"What kind of job?" Simon repeated, cutting her off sharply.

She paused, putting a finger to her lips in thought. "I need you to guard something." She finally said cryptically.

"I'm not a bodyguard Miss." Simon replied, casting his eyes down at his newspaper, completely loosing interest. "The door is behind you." He gestured to the door.

"How dare you!" She shouted, sounding scandalized, before she took a deep breath to regain her composure. "Lately I have been on edge with all the stealing going on. This Nobel Thief I'm sure will come after my precious jewel."

Instantly she won his attention. "Are you sure?" He asked, looking over his newspaper.

"Positive. How could any self-respecting thief possibly ignore stealing from me?"

'_This woman… Is not going to leave me alone till I say yes.' _Simon sighed mentally. "All right. I'll do it." He conceded.

Brittany clapped her gloved hands together in delight. "Oh I knew you would. Of course you would. How could you refuse? You will be at my house at 1 o'clock PM. Tell the people at the gate who you are and you will be let in." She pulled a bejeweled ring off her finger and placed it on the desk. "My down payment. You'll find it will sell more than two cars. Oh don't look like that I have plenty of rings. Aideu!" She went out the door with the grace of the Queen of England.

Simon stared in awe at what just happened. He didn't know people like that actually existed. He inspected the ring. His "down payment" was gold with at least dozens of tiny glittery diamonds set into the ring. He didn't think they were fake. Someone like Brittany Miller wouldn't settle for anything less than real and real expensive. He looked at it for a while before throwing it into his desk drawer without another thought.

* * *

><p>When Simon got to the mansion (more like a white castle) the guards instantly were on the defense. They were big burly men that looked as though they were fresh out of boot camp wearing prim tuxedos that could have suited a lamp better. When Simon came up the gate they immediately barked at him, telling him to get lost. When he said his name they became as docile as Pomeranians and let him through with a few dozen apologizes. He couldn't help a wry smile.<p>

The stuffy butler at the door scrutinized him for a minute before letting him in with a stiff bow. The interior was posh with ever frivolity that could be named. Gold trimming on the tables, china vases, and an impossibly complicated chandelier with dangly little ornaments, paintings of Brittany stood on the wall in several flattering poses. Simon wanted to turn around go back home. He wasn't even sure if he could walk on the rug.

"Simon?" Came a familiar voice. Simon looked up in surprise to see Theodore, munching on something as per usual, in the hallway.

"Theodore?" Simon questioned. "What are you going here?"

"Miss Brittany came to the police department demanding that we guard her new fancy jewelry." He brushed some pastry crumbs off his uniform. "She made such a fuss that I went with her just to calm her down."

"It's not simple jewelry." Brittany in all rich glory strode down the hall. Her outfit, no longer a lavish feathered pink, was much more simple consisting of a pink sundress and fashionable heels. She wore the sunhat still and several pieces of gold were hanging from her ears, wrists, and neck.

"Is it so important you need the entire police force?" Simon replied.

"As a matter fact yes." She retorted. "Follow me." She turned on her heels.

Theodore cast a look at Simon who just replied with a shrug and the two of them trailed after. The two of them were so caught up in the sparkle and glitter of the house (gold tiling?) that they didn't realize when they hit the end of the hallway.

"In here is the most precious, rarest gem in the world." She said dramatically, holding to the door handles behind her back." She pushed the doors open slowly revealing a round empty room of glass windows with a single pedestal in the center. On the pedestal was a glass box encasing a beautiful gem.

It was a deep raspberry red jewel faceted and round looking serene on a pillow of silk. In the case, small little incandescent lights shone on the gem making it shimmer beautifully even in the day.

"It's huge!" Theodore exclaimed jaw dropped in amazement. The gem was the size of a chicken egg, an unheard of size for a gem especially one as rare as alexandrite.

"Where did you get this?" Simon asked, in awe despite himself.

"I discovered it on a trip to the Ural Mountains. I own a mining company there and this was discovered in the caves. So I had it cut, polished and here it is." She sighed dreamily. "The Two-faced Gem."

"Two-faced?" Theodore asked, baffled, turning to Simon for an explanation.

"Alexandrite is a very rare type of precious stone." Simon began. "It is known for its color changing properties. However it isn't really changing colors. The different light on it causes an optical allusion to the eye. Thus the incandescent lights on the gem I assume?" He turned to Brittany questioning.

"This was by far my favorite color…" She replied.

"Right…" He said, adjusting his glasses. "Anyway it will turn a green color in low light like at night time."

"Not so long as the lights are on it." Theodore remarked.

"And that is how it stays. I like this color." Brittany replied.

Simon came in for a closer look, stepping right up to the glass case. '_Not much sense it keeping a color changing jewel one color…' _He thought, adjusting his glasses.

"Hey!"

Simon jumped in surprise at the shout and turned around to the source of the bellow.

"What do you think you're doing?" Squeaked a chipmunk behind him.

"Nothing!" Simon protested hastily.

"Lay off." Brittany said, rolling her eyes. "This is Detective Simon Seville. He is here to protect my baby with the chubby one over here."

"Hey!" Whined Theodore.

"Detective," Brittany said. "This is my fiancé Alvin."

He didn't have to tell her that. The news of Brittany Miller being engaged was in every newspaper for weeks. Alvin was fresh money but very famous money. He was a well-known actor around the country. No one was surprised when the two were dating but the whole country was floored when they got engaged considering the two of them flirted with others blatantly.

Alvin was dressed in a neat white suit with a red baseball cap that matched the loose tie around his neck. The tie had the letter 'A' emblazoned on it in yellow. '_Another pain…'_ Thought Simon, with a mental sigh.

"How do you do Alvin?" Simon said, offering a hand.

"What are you doing so close to the jewel?" Alvin said, not so much as glancing at Simon's hand.

"Admiring it if you don't mind."

"Oh? And what do you think of it?" Alvin asked.

"Quiet stunning."

Alvin grinned. "Glad you agree." His smile fell. "Brittany we don't need these two protecting it. I want them out."

"What?" Theodore asked, perplexed, glancing at Brittany.

"Alvin I have read the newspaper enough to know that this cat burglar going around is hard to catch and the only person that has gotten close enough is this detective. He stays."

"Fine." Alvin said begrudgingly. "I just don't want him messing with it."

"The only thing I'll be doing is protecting it. If you suspect anything or see anything here is my number." He handed Brittany his card. "I'll protect your… precious."

"Same here Miss." Theodore said with a salute and a smile. "Just give us a call if there is trouble. The police will be there too."

For the first time Simon saw a genuine smile on her face rather than her flirty smirk. "Thank you." She replied.

Alvin just huffed, arms crossed. "I still don-"

"Oh my!" Came a voice as a crash exploded to the ground, drowning out Alvin. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound. Simon was surprised to the brown haired chipette with round, new pink glasses that he saw the other day. Instead of the blue dress she was instead in a black dress and white apron with frills. A platter, that previously had what was now broken china and food on it, was held in her hands. _'A maid' _Simon realized.

"Very sorry!" She apologized, bowing in their general direction.

"Jeanette!" Brittany exclaimed. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the abbey volunteering?"

"Mr. Alvin requested coffee and a pastry so I went to fetch it for him."

"Jeanette, don't worry about the mess. I'll have Godfrey get it. Alvin, stop ordering my personal assistant around. That's why it is _my_ personal assistant."

"You didn't expect me to go the kitchen myself did you?" Alvin replied.

"Whatever." Brittany remarked without interest. "Jeanette you go to the abbey straightaway. Take the leftovers from the kitchen… and take these two with you." She jabbed a finger at Simon and Theodore. "They don't need to stick around right now."

"Your hospitality is impeccable." Simon said, adjusting his glasses.

"I'm just a very frank person." Brittany said, pursing her lips then smiled. "We'll be in touch." She turned, hooked her arm around Alvin's and went down another hallway.

"T-this way Mister Simon and Theodore." Jeanette offered a deep bow, and starting for the hallway.

"You don't need to call us mister." Theodore smiled following her.

"We're not like your employers." Simon said, hands in his pockets, stepping over the broken china. "Just call us by our first names. Jeanette."

"T-thank you."

As they traversed the hallways, which she must have known by heart, Simon was staring at the back of her head working up the guts to make a conversation. "So." He started. "You're the one I ran into?"

Jeanette jumped a foot in the air, her shoulders almost to her ears, and she stumbled slightly. He couldn't help but notice her messy bun bouncing as she tripped and he smiled.

"W-what do you mean?" Jeanette said, her voice as clumsy as herself.

"On the street. The other morning."

Her breath came out in one big whoosh. "Oh that's right." She turned her head offering a demure smile. "I'm truly sorry for that."

"No not at all. I am curious though what your hurry was."

"I was taking the muffins down to the abbey. Miss Brittany makes breakfast especially for the church to give to the nuns and homeless there. She sends me there to volunteer in her stead sometimes. I woke up late though so I was in a rush."

"Didn't she say leftovers?" Theodore questioned.

Jeanette smiled. "Miss Brittany claims she has an image to keep up. No one would take her seriously if they knew she was being charitable. She tells everyone that it is simply a waste to let things go to waste and so calls them leftovers." Jeanette giggled. "Yet they're made fresh almost every morning by the cooks."

"You admire your mistress?" Simon asked incredulously.

"She is frivolous, demanding, critical, high maintenance, and refuses to do anything directly. But Miss Brittany has a soft side. It just takes a bit of coaxing to come out."

"I think it's just because you actually look for the best in everyone." Simon replied with a smile.

"It's not hard to find the best in you detective…" She whispered.

Simon's eyes widened and his face grew hot at that. No one had ever commended him other than on his job and in business etiquette. He actually had never been told anything that was so kind and so… sincere. From a girl no less.

As Simon silently tried to contemplate the meaning of this and as Jeanette herself blushed madly, her mind full of _"Why did you say that?"_ Theodore looked back and forth between Simon's face and Jeanette's hair bun with an annoyed expression.

"Are we close to the kitchen?" He moaned.

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><p>The gang is all here now! Reviews are appreciated.<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

It's hard to crank these chapters out but I have made a vow to keep going till its done. I don't own the Chipmunks!

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><p>The kitchen was exactly what he expected, huge and full of chefs running around preparing expensive food that Simon was sure he would never see again. <em>'Was that guy shaving gold onto chocolate cake?'<em> He thought with a glance as the three walked through the kitchen.

"It smells so good!" Theodore exclaimed. Eyeing the plated food with stars in his eyes. He reached out a chubby hand to a decedent looking chocolate cake only to be smacked on the hand with the back of a wooden spoon.

"Non! Vous ne touchez pas!" Shouted a chef with an impressive mustache, wagging the spoon at Theodore the way someone would wag a finger at a bad child.

"What?" Theodore shrieked indignantly, holding his stinging hand. "I just wanted a taste!

"He said don't touch, Theodore." Simon replied, eyeing a pot of boiling lobster.

"The general rule is not to touch anything in the kitchen." Jeanette said. "Especially when Francois has an eye on you. Are the muffins ready?"

The chef nodded and gestured to a large paper bag on the counter similar to what she had carried before. She hefted up the bag with both arms. "Follow me." She said looking back at them and heading for a door in the back of the kitchen.

The three of them walked out into a back alley that lay between the mansion and the neighboring mansion. This was after all money central. Posh clean mansions lined up next to each other continuing down the street until they turned into more modest homes.

"Can you find your way home from here?" Jeanette asked, as they stepped out of the alley.

"Sure we can!" Theodore replied. "But can I have a muffin please?"

"Theodore…" Simon sighed.

"I would but…" Jeanette looked down at the bag contritely. "I have to make sure there is enough for everyone at the church. Sorry Theodore."

"Aw…" Theodore sighed.

"If you want a muffin so badly why don't we just tag along?" Simon said. "Might as well have another friend to chat with on the way to downtown." He cast his gaze toward Jeanette. "That is if you don't mind of course."

"O-of course not!" She replied. She turned her head away from Simon, who walked in stride next to her. "Company is always welcome."

"Glad to hear it." Simon smiled. She really was a shy creature.

_'Just my luck.' _Jeanette thought as the nun opened the gates to the abbey for the three of them. '_To be a thief and have a detective and a police chief chatting with me and I'm practically walking them to my hideout. Eleanor is gonna flip.'_

Simon and Theodore were talking intently with each other ironically about her. She wondered if they had caught on and knew who she was and was just leading her on to trap her. Theodore seemed oblivious enough and Simon was charming and kind enough but when you live a life of crime it seems like every person on the street is waiting for you with handcuffs. However Simon didn't show any indication that he recognized her and that was a relief.

"Where is everyone?" Simon asked, looking around the abbey courtyard.

"I'm not sure." Jeanette replied.

"In the chapel maybe?" Theodore suggested.

"Perhaps. Lets check."

They headed for the chapel, a beautiful flagstone building with arching windows with colorful stained glass that glittered in the sun. At the top was a bell tower where a bronze bell hung with a steeple above it. Jeanette was about to push open the large wooden doors when they swung open, knocking Jeanette back.

She reeled backwards, holding the bag tight, determined not to drop them again when Simon caught her by her shoulders.

"That was close!" Simon exclaimed setting her on her feet.

She shook her glasses back into position. "T-thank you." He really was a gentleman. Her shoulders felt hot.

"Oh I beg your pardon!" Exclaimed the lady who had opened the door. "I didn't realize there was someone coming." The lady offered another apology and scurried away.

"What was that about?" Theodore questioned.

"She must have been here for a confessional." Jeanette replied, watching the lady go. _'I wonder…'_ She thought.

As they walked in, there, at standing at the altar, was a short figure clad in a black and white habit, back turned to them.

"Jeanette?" The figure turned around and sure enough, it was Eleanor, with bits of blonde hair sticking out from her veil. Caught at the worst possible moment.

_'Well nuts…'_ Jeanette thought. Eleanor saw that Jeanette wasn't alone and seemed puzzled and somewhat horrified. After all Ellie wasn't a nun.

"Hello there." Eleanor said warily.

"Hello Sister." Simon greeted.

"Oh I'm not…" She started but stopped when she saw Jeanette frantically making slicing gestures across her neck in a signal. What would Simon think if he was told that she wasn't a nun but was wearing a habit anyway? He was smart and there was no way he wouldn't find it fishy.

"I am Sister Eleanor." Eleanor said, finally. Jeanette breathed in relief.

"Sister Eleanor," Jeanette said, clearing her throat. "This is Detective Simon Seville and Police Chief Theodore." She accentuated their titles.

"Oh really?" Jeanette could tell Ellie was doing her best to keep the panic and total horror out of her face and voice.

"Hey Theodore you ok?" Simon asked, getting the girls attention. The chubby chipmunk was staring awestruck at Eleanor like he was gazing at an angel and he clearly couldn't find his voice until Simon elbowed him in the ribs.

"N-nice to m-m-meet you… Sister Eleanor…" Theodore stammered out shakily. "You have v-very p-pretty eyes."

"That's very kind of you officer." Eleanor replied with a smile that only made Theodore blush madly and stare at the floor.

"Sister, why don't you help us distribute the muffins?" Jeanette said, breaking the silence.

"Of course Jeanette. I would love to. But The Reverened Mother will want to be seeing me." That was probably code for 'I don't anyone especially Reverend Mother to see me pretending to be a nun.' Eleanor would be tossed out in a heartbeat and would tip Simon and Theodore off immediately to foul play.

"Why don't your friends help you Jeanette?" Eleanor suggested.

"We would be glad to." Simon replied.

"Yes!" Theodore squeaked, happily.

* * *

><p>"So you volunteer here often?"<p>

Jeanette jumped at the sound of Simon's voice by her ear and she almost dropped the last muffin she was handing to a little girl who reached out with expectant eager hands.

"Yes." She replied handing the muffin to the girl. "I volunteer here when I am not needed at the mansion and that depends on Brittany's mood. I stay over sometimes."

"Really?" Simon asked, staring at her with intrigue.

Jeanette's breath caught in throat when she realized that she had said far too much now. "B-but not all that often because Miss Brittany doesn't like me staying overnight."

"Very demanding isn't she?"

"Yes very."

She realized that he wasn't really paying attention as his eyes scanned the room. The room was large with vaulted ceilings with wooden panels and beams and very simplistic arched windows. Thick, heavy tables and benches were lined through the room with people in thin and worn dusty clothes, eagerly munching on large muffins cupped in their hands. The abbey often took in the poor from the streets and allowed them to sleep in the building offering every necessity they could offer to them.

"Are you thinking of something Detective?" Jeanette questioned.

"Yes I was thi-"

"Jeanette!" Theodore exclaimed, interrupting Simon. "I passed out the last of the muffins. Are there any left?"

"You lucked out." Jeanette rummaged around in the paper bag and pulled out a single blueberry muffin.

"Thank you!" Theodore said, happily accepting the muffin.

"Jeanette!" Eleanor shouted, waving Jeanette over, peeking from behind the back door. A man walked by giving Eleanor a weird look.

"What are you looking at huh?" Eleanor glared at the man.

"Oh I'll be back." Jeanette said, hastily.

"No worries we're going to be leaving. We have some investigating to do now that Theodore has his muffin."Simon chuckled

"Oh…" Jeanette couldn't help but feel both relieved and disappointed. She couldn't really say it was good on her nerves to have him around but something about him was very charming almost compelling. Furthermore it seemed their paths would cross again sooner and under circumstances she didn't like. "Take care!" She smiled as best she could and gave a shy wave before heading toward Eleanor.

* * *

><p>"Did you see her eyes?" Theodore sighed.<p>

"Yes I saw her eyes." Simon said rolling his eyes for the ninth time. Theodore had been talking about his heaven sent nun for the last ten minutes as the two of them strolled down the street.

"She is amazing."

"You do realize that as a nun she has pledged herself to God right?" Simon pointed out.

"Oh. Right…" Theodore said, his face falling dejectedly.

"Lets not focus on your love issues right now Theodore." Simon said, mentally pitying Theodore for having a crush on a nun. "Now about the abbey… what did you think about it?"

"It's nice. Old. Very generous. Wait why is this important?"

"The police are not allowed to arrest people who are under the sanctuary of the church?"

"In respect for the church yes. Why?"

"I'm thinking… It is the perfect place for a thief to disappear to."

"You're right! Even more so the church is located in the center of the city. It would be easy to get to from most places! Amazing, how did you think of that?" Theodore said in genuine awe.

"It's nothing. Just old fashioned rationale." Simon said. He was used to questions like that but they still flattered him. "If that is the case then the thief must be among the people within the church."

"So what should we do?" Theodore asked.

"I'm thinking we should tag along with Jeanette more on her visits." Simon said and immediately he couldn't believe he said it. He barely heard Theodore's 'ok' over the thoughts in his head.

_'That's lame Simon. Lame.'_ He thought as he shook his head. _'You just want to know more about Jeanette.'_ The way she selflessly gave her time and effort to others out of the pure goodness of her heart and how she worked without complaint or spite for a fickle mistress. She was apparently very clumsy (she had tripped over a bench twice) but there was a strength inside her green eyes that shone behind her glasses that was hard to find these days. Not that he would admit to staring at her eyes.

"What the heck am I doing?" Simon sighed.

* * *

><p>Bahaha! Eleanor got roped into pretending to be a nun.<p>

Edit: Jeebus I totally forgot Jeanette had green eyes. Thanks for pointing that out. Fixed.


	7. Jeanette's Reason

Got you didn't I? You thought I dropped it. No I haven't sorry for the wait. Told you that I would see this to the end but updates will be sporadic. I kept rewriting this chapter till I was moderately happy with it. So here it is.

* * *

><p>Despite his confusion at his motives Simon, along with Theodore, tagged along with Jeanette every morning for a week to the abbey after of course checking on the precious jewel that he was employed to basically stare at.<p>

Theodore was no real help either considering he seemed so captivated by Eleanor's brown doe eyes. She was an odd nun. She was jumpy and at random moments she would suddenly disappear only to return a few moments later, sneaking about. He supposed she would remain a mystery, but he did know that Jeanette and Eleanor seemed to be very close and very secretive.

Jeanette. Despite learning things about her he was surprised to find her to be just as much a mystery. She had been working for Brittany for at least three years and volunteering at the abbey for just as long and he knew that her father was a jeweler. Other than that her lips were as silent as could be about her personal life. He had to admit that the more time he spent with her he became less interested in the case and more interested in her. He shook his head at the thought.

"Focus on the case Simon." He said aloud, leaning back in chair as he sat in his office. "Just the case."

As he helped handing out whatever breakfast the chef had prepared he studied each face closely but it was no use. Not a single person within the abbey was the person he met on the roof. It was dark then but he was positive no one in the room full of dusty and poor people matched the thief.

"_Perhaps I've made a mistake?"_ He thought, sliding his glasses up his nose, although such a thing would be highly unlikely for him.

"Could it be a nun?" The thought was so funny he couldn't help but let a laugh slip through his lips. "Possible but not probable." He decided, staring down at the case files laid open with the papers scattered on his desk and tapping a pen irritably on his desk. This would be a lot easier if his thoughts didn't keep wandering towards Jeanette.

* * *

><p>"Jeanette, I don't think I can keep up this nun for much longer." Eleanor admitted. The two of them were sweeping fallen leaves on the abbey grounds, with Eleanor finally out of her nun guise and wearing a simple green dress.<p>

"Why?" Jeanette asked, pausing mid sweep.

"Those two guys keep on coming over and every time I see black and white walking by I have to throw myself into the bushes so as not to be seen. Plus Theodore has been accompanying me more…"

"Hmm?" Jeanette questioned in surprise.

"He is rather adorable…" Eleanor sighed, leaning on the handle of the broom.

"Acting like a nun doesn't help does it?" Jeanette said, giving a weak smile.

"Not really."

"I'm sorry Eleanor I've gotten you into this mess. If you want you can…"

"Hold up," Eleanor said sharply, holding her hand up. "If you're about to suggest I bow out then I swear I will throw you into this pile of leaves. I'm with you to the end." She smiled. "No matter how badly it ends."

Jeanette offered a real smile. "Thanks Ellie."

"But seriously Jeanette. Do I look like a nun?"

"No not really…" Jeanette said honestly.

"So why does everyone buy the fact that I'm a nun?" Eleanor asked, sweeping a leaf high into the air with extra gusto.

"I said you're not a good nun. I won't deny that you're a good actress."

Jeanette had to admit that if it weren't for Eleanor she never would have been able to do what she was doing. Often people would come to the church to relieve their problems and worries, to pray and hope for a miracle. They would unload their heavy hearts to another. Mostly to a priest but occasionally a short chubby little nun who really didn't suit a habit would listen to people's woes.

Of course no one ever suspected that the nun was really a volunteer with a powerful and cheeky attitude. Occasionally a confession involved stolen goods, treasured things that people loved dearly and had lost thanks to foul play. Jeanette narrowed her green eyes angrily and whacked the ground with the broom.

The rich in this city were appalling people who participated in backroom deals and other sleazy, immoral methods. It was inevitable in a city that was so peaceful otherwise. The corruption was simply hidden under a veil of money and fame.

Jeanette took the responsibility as miracle maker for those people. For everyone who had lost something dear to another. Ever since that time that was seared into her memory.

"_Papa…"_ She thought solemnly.

"…ette! Jeanette!" Eleanor's voice roused her from her thoughts.

"What?"

"It's getting late…" Sure enough the sky was tinged pink from the sinking sun and the faint shape of half a moon was already out.

"Right. The tapestry…" Jeanette mused.

"A 1700s hand woven tapestry." Eleanor said, giving Jeanette the run down again. "Stolen from a young lady a week ago. She was the woman who opened the door in your face. It has been passed through her family for multiple generations and was recently stolen while she was on vacation. There has been no sign of it since." Eleanor gave a coy wink. "Till I found it. It's in the hands of Davis Flanders who is known for acquiring, through underhanded means, priceless antiques. The tapestry…"

"The tapestry is located on the second floor hanging in a room by itself with alarms set at the entrance and on the windows. I'll manage." Jeanette finished.

"You got it. Should we get started? Well after the leaves anyway." Eleanor said as a mischievous wind blew the leaves skittering across the pavement.

Jeanette merely nodded as she cast her gaze sadly at the horizon. _"This is for you Papa."_

* * *

><p>Simon was walking the streets, despite it being late in the day, thinking hard and scanning the streets for some sort of hint or clue or anything. Instead he saw exactly what he been trying to get out his head.<p>

"Jeanette!" Simon said in surprise as they met at the turn, almost bumping into her.

"Simon!" She exclaimed just as shocked. "What are you doing here?"

"Just taking a walk before turning in for the night. What are you, a lady, doing out at this hour?" Simon asked.

"H-heading back to the mansion actually." She said, fiddling with the sleeves of her dress for no reason. "Excuse me, I have to get going." She walked around him in a hurry. Somehow… he couldn't let this go. Before Simon could think twice he whirled around and grabbed her wrist.

She turned in surprise, her eyes wide and her mouth open is confusion before suddenly her cheeks turned scarlet.

"Y-yes?" Jeanette stammered, looking away in embarrassment.

Her shyness reminded him of how bold his action was to a person he didn't know very well and his face colored red as well.

"Come on Simon! Save face here!" He thought in his head.

"I-I can't let a lady simply walk the streets at this hour by herself." He said trying to muster all the politeness and graces he could. "So if you will allow it may I accompany you?" His eyes were cast down at the pavement, not sure of what her reply would be.

"I would be honored." She smiled, and for once Simon had the feeling that it was a true smile from her heart rather one put on purely for politeness. Or at least he hoped it was.

So the two of them set out down the street, both of them keeping quiet, unsure of what to talk about. Several times Simon felt the heaviness of conversation on his tongue but whenever he tried to say something but he hesitated and the words failed. He couldn't understand how his brain could be so chaotic and be so empty at the same time. It felt like cotton had been shoved into his skull through his ears and his heart was thumping just slightly too fast.

Suddenly Jeanette came to a halt.

"Something wrong?" Simon asked. They stopped in front of a store, with a large glass window, showcasing several fancy pieces of jewelry in the window lying on a carpet of velvet that had long since lost its luster. '_A jeweler,' _he realized gazing up at the sign.

"This used to be my fathers store." Jeanette said, her eyes searching the front of the store maybe for some sign it was once her fathers. Her look was nostalgic and sad.

"Used to be?"

Jeanette sighed and continued walking with Simon walking in stride. "I was adopted as a baby by my father. No mother just my father. He was a good man and a good father. He was a well-known jeweler, able to detect fakes just by looking at it. He had also acquired quite a collection of gems. Very expensive gems." She smiled sadly. Simon however felt elated. The fact that Jeanette was telling him this made him feel like when he found a clue during a case or realizing how the crime happened. It was exciting.

"A year ago he unwittingly got tangled into something he couldn't handle. Some rich men had gotten wind of my fathers collection and when confronted my father refused to sell to them. So they resorted to more… forceful measures. They hired a gang to break into our house. They attacked my father and stole all his precious gems." Her face contorted painfully. "My father… injured his spinal cord. He is paralyzed from the waist down." Simon's heart twisted like someone was wringing it out like a rag. He had no idea that Jeanette held so much pain in her….

"He had to sell his store." Jeanette continued, now faster like she was eager to get words somewhere other than sitting heavily on her heart. "He couldn't take care of it in his condition. So he sold it."

"Didn't you go to the police?" Simon asked, shocked.

"Of course we did!" Jeanette said, indignantly. "It didn't do any good. It was deemed a burglary from some hooligans. Nothing more. Papa's gems were never found and that was that. Case closed."

They stopped and Simon hadn't realized they had already gotten to the front gate of the mansion. The sky had turned dark, obscenely fast. Stars were already glittering in the sky and a chilly night breeze blew through Simon's clothes giving him goose bumps. What unnerved him most was the silence hanging heavily in the air and Jeanette's unreadable mask like expression.

Later Simon would belittle himself about it but he was only concerned with now, with comforting Jeanette. With the briefest of hesitations, Simon threw his arms around Jeanette, almost lunging at her. Their edges of their glasses knocked each other skewing them awkwardly but Simon didn't care. He just held her lightly like he was afraid to touch her but he desperately wished he could just squeeze hard and never let go.

Jeanette immediately tensed up, stiff like a board and squeaked in a panic. He continued to hold her silently, with even every thought silenced. Slowly he felt Jeanette loosen up but he knew that meant it was time to let go.

He pulled away from her, taking a few wobbly steps back, his face warm and hot. He covered his face with an arm. He stared at Jeanette without really seeing her at all, his vision too obscured by his embarrassment and the fact that his glasses were pushed up to his forehead. He hesitated and turned tail and ran the opposite direction his visions blurry and his thoughts a muddled mess of a wreck.

* * *

><p>Jeanette watched him go, her face stunned and blank. Instantly emotion flooded through her all at once and she flushed beet red. She wrapped her arms around herself. Her shoulders and back where Simon had hugged her were warm and her heart was thudding in violent spikes. She almost felt tears coming to her eyes behind her crooked glasses.<p>

"Why do you have to confuse my heart like that?" She cried, squeezing her shoulders hard.

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><p>To those of you that think this sounds familiar its because I used to watch Kaitou Saint Tail. I miss that show. Anything you guys want to see in this story? Let me know!<p> 


	8. The Trouble With Rich People

Don't own the Chipmunks!

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><p>"Rough night Simon?" Jeanette asked, placing a trembling teacup and saucer in front of the fuming detective.<p>

"More like disappointing," Simon grumbled. His eyes were red and puffy. He was yawning every minute and blinking away watery eyes. From sleep not crying. But he was close. Last night the Noble Thief struck again but this time Simon wasn't even close to catching her. He got a call in the middle of the night, yet again that the thief had slunk away with a priceless tapestry before the owner even realized it was gone. There wasn't even any point in calling the police. The only thing the information did for him was keeping him up all night brooding over his ineptness.

"That's a shame," Jeanette said, placing a teacup in front of Theodore who sat next to Simon. Both chipmunks had been invited for brunch (breakfast was too common) by Brittany for a 'chat'. Theodore seemed nervous and Simon would have been if he didn't have more important things to think about.

"To think she got away without the slightest warning," Theodore mused. "Perhaps this thief is getting better at her job."

"Or got lucky…" Jeanette muttered under her breath, but no one seemed to catch it. "I'm sure you'll catch her next time Detective," She said louder.

Simon glanced at Jeanette. "Pointless encouragement doesn't make me feel better." He sighed, slouching into his seat.

"What do you mean?" Jeanette asked in surprise.

"Your smile looks forced and very unconvincing. You don't believe I can do it." He replied simply.

Simon noticed her distressed expression and quickly apologized.

"No, no please don't apologize." Jeanette said, somehow still looking pained, backing up a few paces.

"Jeanette?" Simon asked rising up out of his chair, suddenly curious about her unusual behavior.

"Oh good you're both here!" Brittany appeared, as pink and fashionable as ever. Behind her was Alvin, looking like… well Alvin. The couple took a seat opposite Simon and Theodore. Simon slowly sat back down.

"That will be all Jeanette," Alvin said to Jeanette, making shooing motions with his hands like she was a pest. Jeanette bowed, and scurried out of the room.

"Your manners are impeccable," Simon said, calmly glaring at Alvin over the edge of his teacup.

"My fiancé's manners are not why we are here," Brittany said, cutting off whatever Alvin was about to respond with. "We are here to talk about this."

She threw this mornings paper on the table in front of Simon and Theodore. It read _'Authorities Fail to Nab Noble Thief!'._

_ "Freaking media…" _Simon thought, with a scowl.

"But Miss Brittany we can explain…" Theodore started.

"Please what is there to explain?" Alvin interrupted. "It's obvious that you can't protect the jewel. We don't need your assistance."

"Then who will you get to protect it?" Simon shot back. "Mercenaries?"

Alvin's eyes lit up. "Ooooh Brittany…" He said glancing at his fiancé.

"No, Alvin." Brittany sighed but she seemed to like the idea too. "Look Simon I just want to know why she got away. The newspaper didn't say much."

"We weren't even there." Simon said, placing his tea down. He had forgotten that he hated the taste of tea. "The thief had come and gone before the owner even knew it. Of course she got away."

Alvin let out a long whistle. "Impressive thief," He said, leaning back in his chair, balancing it only on the back legs.

"A thief is a thief." Brittany replied. "But, I understand why you didn't catch her. It was the incompetence of the victim. He must have had a weak security system. Not to worry Detective you and Theodore will continue guarding my jewel. If that thief so much as touches my precious the whole city will know in an instant."

"I'm sure." Simon said, not sounding convinced.

"Brittany are you sure about keeping them around?" Alvin protested, his face sour. "We probably don't really need them to-"

"Alvin for the last time they are staying!" Brittany retorted. "You don't make decisions about my jewel!"

"It's all about your jewel isn't it?" Alvin yelled, jumping out of his chair. "Fine! Do what you want! I'm late for a date!"

"A date?" Brittany shrieked. "With who?"

"Sandra Harris," Alvin replied with a smug face, heading for the door.

"Fine! Then I'm going out with Mark!" Brittany shouted, throwing her chair back and heading towards the door opposite Alvin.

"Fine!"

"Fine!" Both doors slammed, almost shaking the plates and cups on the table.

"What… Was that?" Simon said aloud. He and Theodore sat awkwardly at the table confused about the storm that just blew through in only seconds.

"You don't read the tabloids or anything like that but that has been their relationship since day one." Theodore said, munching on a scone.

"You mean dating even though they're engaged?" Simon asked in disbelief.

"Nothing serious. I think they just want to out do each other in everything. Dates included. Not once have they come with each other to a party or dinner. They always have someone else."

"Why the heck are they engaged then?"

"That is one of the biggest mysteries. About as big as the Bermuda Triangle."

"Whatever," Simon said. "That is one mystery I don't need to involve myself in."

"Well we're still protecting the gem so that's good. Brittany seems pretty confident in whatever plot she has."

"We just need to keep on our toes." Simon said, nodding his head firmly.

The two of them sat there, the room eerily silent to the point that Simon thoughts sounded too loud even in his head.

"Now what?" Theodore asked.

Right one cue Jeanette slowly walked in, through the door that Brittany went through. She tread slowly as if the awkward hung about in the room like a fog.

"I am… uh… sorry for the inconvenience," She said fiddling with her fingers. "Miss Brittany has asked me to escort you out. She expects to see you here tomorrow morning as per usual."

"Does that happen often?" Simon asked, standing up along with Theodore.

"At least twice a week." She sighed, shaking her head as several people in uniforms similar to Jeanette's began cleaning up the table of the pastries. Theodore desperately snatched up as many as he could before the plate was spirited away.

"Do you know why they're engaged?" Theodore asked, munching a buttery croissant.

"I have no idea what Brittany is thinking… As for Alvin…"

"As for Alvin?" Simon questioned.

"He is a mystery to me. The only thing he ever says to me is: 'Get me something' or 'What are you looking at?'" Jeanette shrugged. "I honestly don't know anything about him."

"They seem extremely competitive."

"They are. They once challenged each other to a race around the city in their Rolls Royce."

"I heard about that…" Theodore said. "Caused loads of complaints for us at the police station. Nothing we could do about it though."

"Who won?" Simon asked, more amused than interested.

"No one. Brittany crashed into a grocery store and Alvin ran out of gas two feet from the finish line." She smiled at the thought, as did Simon and Theodore who chuckled.

"Well we'll be leaving," Simon said with a cough, and heading to the door. "But you'll have to show us the way out because this place is as much of a labyrinth as it was the first time."

"Of course." She kindly opened the door for Simon before he could even touch the doorknob. He kind of felt that he wanted to open the door for her but he let the thought pass.

As she lead the way, like Little Bo Peep might have led sheep through a field, Simon watched the slight bounce of her hair bun as she walked. He couldn't say why but it was cute.

"Hey Simon…" She started and Simon jumped and immediately banished the thought as if her were worried she could read his mind.

"Yes?" He replied, glad her back was turned and she couldn't see the embarrassment in his face. Theodore gave a weird look.

"About last night…" She said.

Immediately Simon's face went sour and he crossed his arms. "I would rather not think about my unfortunate screw up that was completely not my fault."

"Oh!" Jeanette said, turning around slightly, her face flustered and to Simon's surprise beet red. "It wasn't about that! It was about the w-walk last night and you know…" Her voice trailed off into a soft mumble as she turned her head forward, hiding her face.

"Right…" Simon said, remembering the walk and the hug. Somehow that moment had been buried in his annoyance over the Noble Thief's heist but now he thought his heart was pounding as hard as it was last night. It was kind of embarrassing to hear it brought up. "What about it?" He said carefully.

"I wanted to thank you." She said softly, still turned away. "No one had offered such kindness to me. Let alone a h-hug." She stuttered at the word hug for some reason. "My father used to do that for me as a child when I was child and I was scared or upset. It brought back some nice memories. So… thank you."

"N-no problem…" Simon replied as nonchalantly as he could. Really though all he wanted was to grab Jeanette and spin her around to face him. It occurred to him that her ears were dusted a light pink, like she was blushing to her ears. He wanted to see her expression. See her. But he didn't. What good would that do? It would just make things awkward and worse he probably would grasp her by the shoulders and never let go. _'No, no._' Simon thought shaking his head. _'That is not a good line of thought.' _

Once again time seemed to get caught when Simon was around Jeanette and before he knew it they were at the front door. Jeanette turned to face him and somehow Simon knew that her current expression, a small demure smile, was not the expression she had on earlier.

"Theodore?" Jeanette called.

The chubby little chipmunk came jogging up to the open door from far behind, almost at the end of the hall.

"What were you lagging behind for?" Simon asked.

"No reason," Theodore said, looking like he had heard a funny joke.

"We will see you tomorrow." Jeanette said with a bow, back in professional maid mode.

"Bye Jeanette," Both chipmunks called, as they walked down the path to the gates.

"So what were you really lagging behind for?" Simon asked, skeptically.

"I was feeling like a third wheel so I hung back. The atmosphere was very intimate from my point of view." Theodore was all smiles but it was a smug smile.

"It's not like that! Say anything like that again and I throw you off the Brooklyn Bridge!" Simon shouted and whapped Theodore on the back of the head.

_'It's not like that…'_ He thought, trying to convince himself. _'It's not like that at all.' _Yet his heart thumped frantically and his face was warm. If it wasn't like that then what was it?

* * *

><p>Jeanette breathed a sigh of relief, as she slumped against the door. Her fluttered wildly but she was smiling. She walked down the hall still all smiles.. Simon was so sweet and still so unaware. Jeanette felt bad for deceiving him though.<p>

_'No bad doesn't cover it…'_ She thought, her smile turning into a frown. _'Despicable. Horrible. Something like that was more apt to describe her.'_

Jeanette shook her head, solemnly, trying to push those thoughts from her mind. It would do no good worrying let alone insulting herself. It would only make her depressed.

As she continued banishing the thoughts that continuously popped into her head, she opened one of the vast double doors carefully so as not to make it creak. She peeked through the door to make sure no one was there. Not a soul was there except for her and the dark red gem that glittered on the pedestal.

She tiptoed up to the gem, afraid that any moment someone would burst into the room. She stared the at the alexandrite in wonder and that wonder instantly turned bitter and she ended up glaring at it through the glass case.

"Stupid thing," She muttered. It sparkled proudly even in the daytime from the small little lights focused on the gem to make it shine and shimmer. It was beautiful and it was no wonder people were so enamored with it.

Jeanette sighed and she slumped onto the floor, staring up at the jewel from the floor. She pulled her glasses off and began absently cleaning them with her apron. The gem looked less impressive with her glasses off and it was just a piece of red fuzz in her vision. She looked down at her glasses and sighed for the millionth time.

"I wonder what Simon will think when the Noble Thief tries to steal _this_ away."

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><p>I love writing Alvin and Brittany arguments. Reviews are loved!<p> 


	9. The Alarm

I have no excuse. This seriously took long to get done. I've been lazy and frankly I've been running out of ideas to get to the end I have in mind. Anyway here you go!

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><p>"Brittany you said this was an emergency… I see no emergency here." Simon stood in the parlor of Brittany's mansion in a very poorly put together outfit. He wore his trench coat and tie over his wrinkled blue pajamas. "And it's 1 a.m." He added.<p>

"What were you doing something important?" Brittany snapped, crossing her arms haughtily. She was wearing a pink silk nightgown covered by a fluffy bathrobe looking as fashionable and stunning as everything she wore. The only thing that ruined it were the hair curlers the hung in her ginger hair.

"No not all! I was only sleeping!" Simon said, bitingly sarcastic. He wanted nothing more to be at home sleeping and would be if it weren't for the fact that Brittany phoned him in the middle of the night declaring an emergency. When he got to the mansion and saw it as silent and dark as a mausoleum he knew he was had. If he kept on getting woken up at ungodly hours he was going to go bonkers. Maybe he should get a different job… that didn't sacrifice his sleep or sanity.

Brittany missed the sarcasm. "That's not important." She said, shaking her head making her curlers bounce around. "Next week something important is coming up. I'm throwing a party to formally introduce my precious gem to all my dear friends."

"For what?" Simon shrugged.

"Why not? I'm going to be the toast of the party! And Alvin is going be green with envy." She giggled a girlish maniacal laugh.

"Of course," Simon said, holding his tongue lest he say something he would regret.

"That's fantastic." Simon said dryly. "But in a large crowd a thief can easily slip in."

"Well that's why I called you here." Brittany said. "I forgot to mention it earlier. I remembered only now. I'm also extending an invite to the party. I expect you to be there and protect it and enjoy the party.

"And this couldn't wait until tomorrow morning?" Simon yawned emphatically.

"Of course not." Brittany said, mystified. "Why should it? It is important now therefore it must be addressed now. Besides I couldn't sleep."

"So where is Theodore?" Simon thought if they were working together they should at least share the burden of their employer.

"He isn't invited to the party. He will be a guard. I can't start inviting police officers to parties!" She threw her hands up in the air. "Its too ridiculous."

'_Poor Theodore,'_ Simon thought. "So now what? Can I go home?"

"Yeah sure why no-"

He couldn't hear the rest of what she said because a chorus of bells wailed throughout the house with a clamor. Simon thought the vibrations would rattle his brain right out of his ears as the peals reverberated through every corner of the mansion. He clapped his hand over his ears.

"What in God's name is that?" He screamed over the sound of the alarm.

Brittany had her ears covered as well. "It's my security system!" She shouted just as the bells died down. "Hey wait for me!"

Simon wasted no time in bolting out of the parlor.

'Now?' He thought, his mind dead set in getting to the jewel.

"Would you slow down?" Brittany called from behind. "You run like Jesse Owens!"

Simon paid no heed and he burst through the double door, which, to his horror, was partially open. He slid into the room expecting to the thief already half way gone with the jewel in tow.

Instead the jewel sat in it glass case completely untouched, completely unharmed. The small warm lights still shone on the jewel within the case and he half-moon shone weakly through the glass ceiling. No sign of breaking and entering. It was as if the alarm had never gone off. The ringing and throbbing in his ears told him otherwise.

"What is going on?" Simon turned to see Jeanette, in a blue nightgown, and askew glasses come running up the opposite direction. Her hair was slipping out of her bun and most of her hair had already fallen down on her shoulders. Her face was flushed and worried.

"Oh Simon…" She said in surprise as she came up to him, adjusting her glasses. "What are you doing here?"

Simon adjusting his own glasses and tried not think about how indecent it was to be speaking to her when she was only in a nightgown. It was cotton and simple but it was the shortest thing he had seen on her. At least Brittany had a bathrobe.

"Your mistress called for me." He said averting his eyes as Brittany came up behind him.

"Is it gone?" She shrieked. "Please tell me it's still please tell me!"

"Take a look for yourself. You have eyes don't you?" Simon said, pointing at her precious.

"Thank god!" She said in relief. "False alarm."

"So everything is fine?" Alvin asked, marching up the hallway in red pajamas. There was an 'A' embroidered into his silk pajamas. "That's good. I thought the world was ending with those alarms."

"Told you I had a good alarm system." Brittany said, proudly to Simon.

"Yes but if it's still here and no one took it then what set off the alarm?" Jeanette asked

Everyone was silent for a while, staring at the jewel.

"Brittany… what triggers the alarm?" Simon asked.

"Well…" She started as the four chipmunks walked slowly toward the case. "There are panels at the base of the pedestal. If you step on it the alarms go off for about 25 seconds. They're normally off during the day."

"So someone had to have walked up to the case and stepped on a panel…" Simon pondered.

"But who?" Jeanette and Alvin said in unison.

"I can't be certain. But clearly the alarm scared them off… And they entered not from here but somewhere else in the house."

Frowned at a sudden thought. _'Or from within the house…'_

"Hmmm maybe I should up the security in the rest of the house too." Brittany said ponderingly.

"Perhaps." Simon said, distractedly. If it came from someone in the house… well that limited it down but there must have dozens of servants and possibly guests. Socialites like Brittany and Alvin no doubt liked playing host to the equally famous. However there was no proof of any of this. There wasn't even proof it was someone in the mansion. It easily could have been from outside. The Noble Thief was smooth and slick like a cat. She could probably pull it off.

"Simon?" Jeanette asked, startling him from his thoughts. For a second he though that her eyes had turned into round reflective silver plates until he realized that it was merely the moon shinning across her lenses.

"Sorry," He said collecting his thoughts. "I can't think right now. I need some sleep."

"Yeah… speaking of that…" Alvin said. "What are you doing here?"

"I called him over to speak about the party and my concerns." Brittany replied.

"Just that?" Alvin said, leaning into Brittany's face with a skeptical look.

"Yes just that!" Brittany shouted sounding scandalized. "What are you implying?"

"Oh nothing!" Alvin shouted. "Nothing at all!" He walked off throwing his hands up in the air dramatically. "Why should I care if you're seeing another guy in the middle of the night?" He walked out the door.

"Oh now you're calling me out on that?" Brittany yelled, stomping after him. "I don't want that from the guy who was out on a date with Katharine Hepburn!"

Their shouts echoed down the hall. "How did you know about that?"

"I followed you!"

"You followed me!"

"Oh please you do it all the time…"

Their bickering faded and Simon and Jeanette were left looking at each other awkwardly. Jeanette shuffled her bare feet, and Simon cleared his throat.

"Well I'll be going I suppose." Simon said finally.

"Ok…" She sighed in relief and Simon didn't miss it.

"Sorry if I've been trouble." He said, not able to keep the hurt out of his voice.

"No, no, no!" She exclaimed, waving her hands out frantically. "It's not that… It's just…" She shuffled her feet again and gripped her arm with her other hand and rubbed at it. "Never mind."

Simon was about to ask what was wrong when Brittany suddenly popped in looking a little more than peeved off. "Jeanette," She said. "Let the Detective have a room for the night here ok?" She was gone.

"F-Follow me." Jeanette said, rushing ahead toward the door.

Simon couldn't understand why she was so tense until he realized, as she turned tail out to the hallway, that she was feeling shy in her nightgown. He looked down at his own clothes and, although being better covered, he looked ridiculous in his ensemble of his work clothes and his pajamas. Maybe she was just being embarrassed for Simon.

She led him to a room, clearly a guest room, but decked out in the finest furnishings. It even had a TV opposite the canopy bed.

"Classy," Simon whistled. "Is there a TV in every room?"

"Nothing but the best, courtesy of the Miller fortune." Jeanette smiled. She bowed formally. "Breakfast will be at 8 o'clock sharp. We hope to see you there. I will take my leave, Detective."

Simon just smiled in reply as she shut the door. He flopped on the bed, still wearing his shoes, unable to find the motivation to take them off. His mind was normally clear and perfectly functioning but at the moment the gears in his head were sticking and clanking like he had castor oil poured into his ears. He weakly tried to think about the events of the night but nothing made sense. He probably didn't even realize when he fell asleep.

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><p>When Simon woke up with a start, feeling like he had fallen a mile in single second, gripping the sheets of the bed. Through tall giant windows, elegantly dressed in gossamer drapes, sunlight filtered through cheerily. It took a while for it to sink in that he had stayed at the mansion.<p>

He hopped out of bed, feeling like he hadn't had enough sleep but at least he got some sleep. His clothes were impossibly wrinkled, like a crumpled paper bag. His glasses were slightly bent out of shape and as he sat there trying to work the blue frames back into a manageable shape a quick knock came at the door.

"Come in!" He shouted, still fiddling with his glasses, sitting on the bed.

A man in neat and perfect uniform, a butler, entered. "Mr. Simon." The old man said. "Breakfast will be served shortly. I have brought you change of clothes upon Miss Miller's request." The man held a neatly folded stack of clothes out and placed them on the chair by the door. "We hope to see you at breakfast." The old man bowed stiffly and took his leave, delicately shutting the door without the slightest sound.

Simon changed into the neatly pressed clothes, a simple white starched shirt and black trousers. They must have been expensive judging by the tags on them. He changed, brushed his hair, not that it needed the brushing, and smoothed his fur down.

He was heading down towards the dinning room (actually he had no idea where he was going) when he spotted two grand double doors, slightly ajar and a soft melodic humming coming from inside.

He peeked inside and was amazed to see a small library, no bigger than the size of the bedroom he had slept in. It was tall and high with dark walnut bookshelves lining the walls all the way up, packed to the brim with leather bound books.

Right in the middle of the room Simon was shocked to see Jeanette, in her typical maid uniform, sitting on a large overstuffed arm chair, with her legs draped over one arm and leaning against the opposite arm. She held a book over her face, reading intently and humming some tuneless song. It was the most relaxed he had ever seen her.

"Jeanette?" Simon asked. She turned her head toward Simon, clearly not expecting to see him there and dropped the book right on top of her face in surprise.

"Simon!" She said, sitting up and rubbing her nose and readjusting her askew pink glasses. "What are you doing here?"

"Trying to find my way to breakfast. What are you doing?"

"Trying to stay away from breakfast. You could almost feel the poisonous emotions in there. Alvin and Brittany are still angry and the emotion is almost tangible."

"Ah. Thanks for the tip. I'll steer clear of that then. Maybe I can take something from the kitchen…" He trailed off and the two were just silent, unable to find anything to talk about.

'_Argh!'_ He thought, running a hand through his hair. _'Why does this awkward silence happen every time?'_

"Simon?" Jeanette asked, getting up out of the chair, startling Simon. "Do you have any idea about the incident last night?" She looked nervous.

"Worried about it?" He asked with a small smile.

"Well yes because… I don't know who did it." Jeanette said, frowning slightly.

Simon blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Mr. Simon?" Came a stiff voice, that startled both Simon and Jeanette. At the door stood a mustachioed butler. "Phone call for you."

"A phone call? For me?" Simon asked, perplexed. "From who?"

"Mr. Harry Wayland. Calling from prison."

"What?" Both Simon and Jeanette exclaimed.

"On the line for you. Something about the thief."

"Ok… take me to the phone." Simon said, turning to the door. "I'll take my leave Jeanette." He said with a smile.

She offered a forced smile in return and waved bye, but Simon was too interested in this phone call to notice. _'What could that slime bag know about the thief?'_


	10. The Revelation

I fracking did it! Huzzah! Sorry for the wait! Updates will continue being sporadic but we're getting close!

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><p>The butler directed Simon to the phone as a second butler passed the phone to Simon; regarding it with distaste like it were vermin. He must have talked with the rat on the other end briefly.<p>

"Thank you." Simon said, as the butlers bowed out, leaving Simon standing in foyer holding the phone. He took a deep breath before putting the phone to his ear. "This is Simon Seville." He said professionally into the receiver.

"Simon Seville the detective?" A sleazy and rough voice, the kind that sounds like a smoker, asked skeptically on the other end.

Simon couldn't keep his cool with this guy at all and chose not to waste his manners on him. "No Simon Seville the pediatrician!" He said, bitingly sarcastic. "Yes the detective. What do you want?"

"This is Harry Wayland," the voice said much more pleasantly, but the voice was still just as grating.

"I'm aware. You only get one phone call in jail. Why are you calling me? There is nothing I can do for you." '_And nothing I want to do for you,'_ He thought dryly.

"Au contraire. I know for a fact that you're all chummy with the police over here. They talk about you like a saint. I want you to sweet talk the commissioner. You know cut me some slack."

"What makes me think I would do that?" Simon was tempted to slam the phone into the receiver.

"Because I have information on that sneaky little _Noble Thief._" Simon could hear Harry spit the words 'noble thief' out like a bad taste. Regardless Simon's attention was instantly riveted on the conversation. He held the phone closer and turned his voice down to a whisper.

"What kind of information?" He asked.

"Only if you agree to help me out." Harry said, slick as oil.

"Fine. Help me out and I help you reduce your sentence or something."

"Good boy. All right." Harry paused, and continued in a whisper. "The night the little demon broke into my house I happened to get a good glimpse."

"And?" Simon said, the anticipation almost strangling him.

"It was an alien."

Simon almost screamed aloud in frustration that would have been heard in Calcutta but bit his lips forcing himself to keep his wits about him.

"I'm not interested in jokes." He said, his voice trembling with suppressed anger.

"No, no! I'm serious! It sounds weird but its true. I saw it right up close, under the moonlight. A little short little creature all in black. Bright, big, round silver eyes. Nimble and like a cat but a little awkward in movement. I swear that is exactly what I saw."

"Round silver eyes?" Simon muttered, with a frown, the gears in his head spinning. Something about that sounded familiar. He could picture exactly what Harry was saying. Probably something reflecting the full moon… The gears came to a grinding halt as everything clicked.

"Detective?" Harry asked, warily.

"I'll put a good word in for you." Simon said distractedly, holding the phone weakly.

"Hey wai-" Simon hung up, absently, placing the phone on the receiver.

'_Jeanette's the thief. Jeanette's the thief. Jeanette's the thief.' _This single thought chanted mercilessly in his head, tormenting him. He could feel his chest tighten, his heart rebelling against this thought but his accursed logical brain only offered more evidence as he thought more and more about it; the glasses, the abbey, the peculiar behavior of Eleanor. She probably wasn't even a nun.

"Oh God," Simon said, holding his face in his hands, his eyes wide at the realization of everything. He leaned heavily against the table, knocking the phone off the receiver, the dial tone beeping like a mocking laugh.

"She even has a motive…" He whispered, recalling the conversation about her father. She stole for her revenge, taking the jewels as her bounty… The dial tone still laughed at him. He picked the phone up and slammed it into the receiver angrily. He hadn't been this angry in a long time. Of course he had never felt betrayed or humiliated like this before either.

So her next target was the Alexandrite. She must have tried snatching it last night but failed. She was even betraying the Brittany who trusted her so much. His heart felt constricted like a snake had coiled around it, squeezing it. It hurt.

'_But…'_ He thought. He took a deep breath, adjusted his glasses, stood up straight and calmly picked up the phone.

"Hello operator? Can you connect me to the Edison police station?" It hurt to say that and his throat bunched into a knot. He had no concrete proof. He had to catch her red handed.

"A thief is a thief…" He muttered as the operator connected him. He tried to ignore the tight pain in his heart.

"What do you mean the alarm went off?" Eleanor asked.

"It went off!" Jeanette exclaimed. "In the middle of the night."

The two girls sat side by side, inside the chapel, taking a break from dusting the corners and crevices of the room.

"I thought you were waiting till the new moon Jeanette!" Eleanor exclaimed, her arms crossed angrily.

"It wasn't me!" Jeanette exclaimed, jumping up for no reason. Last night had scared at least five years off her life. Simon showed up out of the blue, saw her in her nightgown, and someone other than her was snooping around the alexandrite.

"Well clearly someone was." Eleanor sighed, slumping lower into the pews. "At least we know whoever it is isn't competent enough to steal it."

Jeanette wasn't so sure and if that was the case she wasn't confident she could steal it either. But this was something that had to be done. No matter what. Everything she did was for someone else sake. She jumped up, feather duster in hand and began to mindlessly dust.

"Just calm down ok?" Eleanor said soothingly. "This should a celebration! This is the last time you will be the Noble Thief!"

"What?" Jeanette said in surprise. This was the first time she was hearing this.

Eleanor's smile fell slightly. "You promised me that this would be your very last heist. After this no more. You promised!"

_'Oh well maybe this isn't the first time I'm hearing this.' _Jeanette thought, recalling that conversation. "Right…" She said.

"Jeanette I'm serious!" Eleanor exclaimed, now frantic. "No more! It's too much."

"I know no more." Jeanette knew that hardly sounded convincing even to her and the look on Eleanor's face didn't look convinced either.

They stood in silence not knowing what to say. "W-well." Jeanette started, desperate to make conversation, as she dusted a spot that had long since been dust free. "At least you don't have to dress like a nun for Simon and Theodore anymore."

Eleanor hesitated, as she began to dust a windowsill but relented into a smile. "Thank goodness for that." She laughed. "I was beginning to feel like a secret agent, with all the disguises, ducking and hiding. But you know I kinda liked Theodore. He was adorable."

"Too bad he thinks you're a nun." Jeanette said.

"And whose fault is that? But yeah I'm glad they don't come around anymore. Especially the detective. He was just too smart. He would have put two and two together pretty quick."

Jeanette froze, mid dust, and looked down at the ground, her green eyes filled with regret and sadness. It was true. If she hung around Simon anymore it would mean trouble. How hadn't figured it out already must have been a miracle of God. She hated deceiving him like this and frankly she hated doing this job. She would end up dying 20 years early from stress. She wished she could just leave it up to the police but since when could they be trusted? They only show up after the fact.

"Jeanette?" Eleanor asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm fine, Ellie." Jeanette smiled. "I think this place is as clean as a hospital now. I'm going to head home."

"Well alright then. I'll stick around here a little bit."

Jeanette handed Eleanor the duster, batted dust off her dress, and headed for the abbey gates. She informed Sister Angela she was leaving and walked into the city streets.

She hadn't taken two steps when 'BAM!' something ran straight into her, knocking the wind from her lungs. She fell to the ground.

"Oh my gosh Miss I am so sorry! Oh Jeanette!" An apologetic and winded Theodore sat up and scrambled off of Jeanette.

"Nice to see you too officer." She said, sitting up and noting his uniform not for the first time. It was unnerving to see. "What is your hurry?" She rubbed the back of her head painfully.

"Simon called me and told me he had a breakthrough on the case. I'm meeting up with him now."

Jeanette's heart leapt into her heart and froze over as she stood. "He did?" She said, trying to keep her voice in check.

"Yeah but he wouldn't tell me over the phone." Theodore frowned. "He seemed pretty frazzled."

"Yes well this is a big break through I suppose." Jeanette couldn't get the words out fast enough. "Well I have to go talk to you later." She rushed right past Theodore who looked perplexed for a second before he continued jogging in the opposite direction.

Jeanette's mind was in a haze of thoughts and her breath was ragged. She took swift, stiff steps down the street, her shoes clicking on the pavement as she rushed to get back to the mansion. Her dress felt too warm.

"Calm down Jeanette." She told herself harshly. "No need to worry no need. I don't know what he was found out. He might not know that I'm the thief." Her heart flinched at the words. Her heart felt heavy like someone had wedged a piece of lead inside her chest. It hurt.

If he knew would he be furious? Would he feel betrayed? _'Of course he would,'_ Jeanette thought. All friendship and good feelings would be crushed. Being arrested and put in jail would complicate things too.

"Oh goodness, I'm prioritizing how Simon will feel over being put in prison!" Jeanette said, unable to believe how ridiculous she was behaving.

_'On the chance that Simon does happen to know the truth he can't arrest me.' _She thought desperately. _'He doesn't have any concrete evidence against me. Does he?'_

She tried thinking of any kind of possible evidence and she was so deep in thought she tripped and fell over a crack in the sidewalk.

"Are you all right Miss?" A concerned gentleman asked, as others stared at her.

"I'm fine, fine, fine." She said angrily, her eyes tearing up in frustration and pain. She got up, thanked the man for his concern and continued on trying not to scream. This was all so much. Anymore stress than this and then her hair would start falling out. She felt as though she were drowning in a tank of water. It was unbearable and she wanted nothing more than to surface above the water and forget it all.

It started to rain. Big fat plops of rain and Jeanette looked up. She had already made it to the front gates of Miller Mansion. The rain cleared her thoughts with a shock of cold, like a slap to the face telling her to get a grip. She shook away all her apprehension to worry about on a later date.

She had a job to do. She wasn't always cut out for it but she had to do it. The injustice going on in that mansion could not continue. Not if she could help it. And she could. She could help people in ways that the justice system could not.

"So for now…" She said, in a hushed whisper as the rain drenched her. "We're enemies Detective."

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><p>I rather like Simon's part actually. Anyway Simon is crushed and confused, Jeanette is stressed and sad, and something fishy is going on in that mansion. Please bear with me to the end!<p>

Reviews are always loved.


	11. The Chapel

It's here. *dies* I really don't like this chapter at all. Its boring and its one of those chapters necessary to get to the fun.

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><p>Several times Simon tried to get up but found that his limbs had turned into lead weights, pinning him on the couch. He sighed. A week had gone by painfully with him debating and arguing with himself over what he should do. At this very moment Miller Manor was the life of the town, lit up in the night like a beacon for all to come see, and jam packed with guests from all sorts of upper classes. It was even being broadcast on TV, the black and white picture hardly doing it justice.<p>

Yet here he was, unmoving as and as confused as ever. The cogs in his brain had come to a halt and that amazing mind that he prided and everyone else admired was as frozen as the tundra. Simon kept debating with himself but it only brought his mind to a standstill. He told himself that he was being ridiculous and one girl, no matter how charming, should not get in the way of his duty. It was nonsense, it was stupid, it was impossible to forget.

He checked his watch without much enthusiasm. It was half past eleven. The party would be in full swing right now. Jeanette was no doubt formulating a plan to snatch the gem without anyone even knowing it was the klutzy maid with disheveled hair and round glasses.

_'What would she do with it?'_ He wondered. _'Keep it? Sell it?' _He sat up. Would she just keep doing this forever? All this stealing till the day she is caught? Who would catch her? Did he want someone else catching her? The thought made him glare angrily at his carpet.

No, no he wanted her caught. It was the right thing. _'But…'_ He thought. _'I need to know why. Why is she doing this? I can't face her till I know.' _A sudden thought washed over him like a wave and he jumped up. He snatched his coat off the hook and hat, about to head out the door when he realized he had forgotten shoes. Lacing up the shoes, he bolted out the door in a rush, mind suddenly startling clear.

_'I may not know why.' _He thought, his feet pounding on the concrete as he ran down the lamp lit streets. '_But I know where I can find out.'_

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><p>It was a magnificent party; even by Brittany Miller standards, which was always amazing. The ballroom was lit up in golds and pinks, her two favorite colors naturally.<p>

The entire first floor was open to everyone including the room that held the Alexandrite of course. It was the center of attention at the party along with Brittany of course. Everyone crowded around the case to catch a glimpse of the jewel. People came and went through the room. Some discussed whether it was real, some debated the possible price of it, and other merely peered at it with envy as if the jewel itself possessed something they could not.

Brittany thoroughly enjoyed herself dressed up in a sparkling dress and bejeweled head to toe. She posed for several pictures standing next to the jewel for the press. Alvin meanwhile chatted up some stars from a recent picture near the stone.

Jeanette wandered about the crowd dressed in a uniform that looked better than some of the dresses worn by the woman in the ballroom. The navy dress twirled elegantly underneath a plain-laced apron as she offered hors d'oeuvres on a silver platter to the partygoers.

She wound through the crowd of celebrities and millionaires tripping along the way as people caught her and pushed her on her way almost in exasperation. Some people had already caught her twice before she could fall on her face. She shyly thanked them.

Her nerves were fried. She was anxious and fidgety and the plate shook in her shaky hands. She couldn't concentrate and was tripping all over the place as she absently presented food to the guests. She considered abandoning the plan altogether but at this point she knew that was impossible.

Jeanette offered some quivering miniature quiches to guests in the jewel's room as she eyed the jewel from the corner of her vision. Four police officers, and Theodore, stood around the jewel keeping everyone at least five feet from the dazzling stone and the lights. Theodore, predictably, was munching on some food and scanning the audience without much enthusiasm. He also seemed distracted as if something was weighing on his mind. Everyone was here but there was one thing that bothered Jeanette. It was a quarter to midnight. Where was Simon?

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><p>"I can't believe I'm sneaking into an abbey…" Simon thought as he sat on top of the wall breathing heavily. It was harder to climb than he thought. He shimmied himself closer to the edge of the wall and push off, sliding into a shrub below him. He poked his head out of the bushes, glasses lopsided, and shook leaves off himself and pulled a twig out of his hair. He wondered briefly if it was a sin to sneak into churches and scrambled out of the bushes and headed for the chapel.<p>

He approached the large wooden doors slowly. He slowly cracked the doors open, peering inside. The inside of the church was dark and dingy with little to no light except for three faintly burning candles. A short silhouette stood in front of the candles, the glow of the flames casting an almost ethereal glow around the pig-tailed figure.

He tried to push the door open silently but predictably the door squeaked.

"Jeanette?" Eleanor exclaimed anxiously, whirling around towards the door.

"Not quite," Simon said, swinging the door wide and striding down the aisle. His hands were in his pockets and the brim of his hat shaded his eyes.

"S-Simon!" Eleanor squeaked, frantically looking for a way out, her blonde pigtails whipping about as she looked around. Instead of her usual nun garb she wore a green dress, which fit her much better the habit.

"I need answers." Simon said, approaching her, and taking his hat off realizing he might have scared the wits out of her.

"Well you're not going to get them out of me." Eleanor spat, folding her arms, daring Simon to say something. "I don't know anything."

"I know Jeanette is the thief." Simon said, hesitantly, surprised at her hostility. "I wasn't born yesterday. I need you to tell me about Jeanette."

"Tell you what about Jeanette?" Eleanor asked, raising an eyebrow and loosening her crossed arms.

"Why is she doing this?" Simon asked, almost pleading.

Eleanor let her arms fall and gave a heavy sigh of someone leaden with worry. She bit her lip, frowned and wrung her hands as if she were wrestling with some inner part of her.

"Ok." She said finally, sounding defeated. "I'll tell you. But if someone asks I said nothing. It started a few months after the attack on her father… I assume she told you about that? Anyway, she came to me and said she wanted to change this city. She wanted to do what the police couldn't do. She said that the police can't do anything and they only show up after the crime and then do nothing. I agreed."

Simon nodded. He had that same feeling when he became a detective and decided against being a cop. Cops in his experience couldn't really fix things in time, as they should. There were too many limits. Too many rules.

"I still didn't know what she was getting at though." Eleanor continued. "Until she suddenly announced she was going steal back her fathers gems. I tried to talk her out of it. Clumsy and shy Jeanette, stealing? She could never pull it off. Besides it wouldn't have changed anything and the gems were long gone. We were talking in the chapel when suddenly a woman came through the door. She looked weary and desperate."

"'Excuse me.' The woman had said. "I didn't know that there was someone here.'

"We told her that we would leave to give her privacy. Well as we were leaving the woman got on her knees in front of the altar. It wasn't like we were eavesdropping but… we heard her praying about her mother's watch. A beautiful silver pocket watch that her mother had left her before she died. She had to pawn the watch to pay off to the debt but when she returned with the money he refused to give it to her.

"Well Jeanette heard that and suddenly she got a dangerous light in her eyes behind those thick glasses. She wanted to steal for the benefit of others that had suffered what her father had. A Robin Hood character of sorts; going around stealing things that were stolen or unfairly gained and then returning them to their rightful owners."

"Jeanette however was not in the slightest sporty or sneaky so I did my best to teach her so she wouldn't get caught. The watch was the first thing she ever stole, and she almost screwed it up." Eleanor gave a small giggle. "She tripped over a chair and set off the alarms."

"So Jeanette is doing all this… for her father?" Simon said, eyes widening in complete disbelief.

"In honor of her father I suppose." Eleanor replied. "But she does it for everyone else that she steals for. Please believe me when I say that Jeanette has a pure heart!"

Simon frowned, looking up at a stained glass arched window. Jeanette was wasn't stealing but returning things where it really belonged. Simon gave a small chuckle relieved to find that Jeanette was really the good-hearted girl he knew and not playing him like a viola like he had thought.

"But…." He started, a shadow passing over his face. "I still have to arrest her."

"You can't!" Eleanor exclaimed, in a moment of horror.

"I can't just ignore my job! And for what reason is she stealing the alexandrite from Brittany Miller? There was no foul play!"

"She wouldn't tell me," Eleanor replied, looking hurt by that fact. "But please you can't…" She trailed off suddenly.

"What?"

"Maybe it is for the best…." She said, muttering to herself more than him. "Catch Jeanette. But don't take her to jail!"

"Wha-" Simon spluttered. "What do you-"

"Jeanette isn't cut out for this kind of thing…" Eleanor admitted. "I can see it in her every time she comes back from a heist. Deep inside she knows what she is doing is wrong even if her intentions are good. The stress and guilt is eating her up but she refuses to see it. She is like an alcoholic who can't stop until its too late." Eleanor shook her head. "She won't listen to me but… if you catch her maybe she'll stop before she gets captured by the police or who knows? Maybe she'll listen to you."

"But I can't…" Simon started, until he realized that if anything Jeanette was the one suffering. Jeanette was too kind to back down if she knew people would suffer with her gone. There would always be those taking advantage of others and so long as they did Jeanette would keep going too. At least until the police caught her and Simon was determined to be the one to catch her.

"Please!" Eleanor pleaded. "Catch her but don't arrest her! Then maybe we can put this craziness to rest."

"When is she stealing the jewel?" Simon asked, with a new sense of urgency.

"Around midnight when no one is in the room."

"Thank you Eleanor, he said, putting on his hat and heading for the door, feeling like he couldn't get to the manor soon enough. He paused slightly in his rush. "So you're not a nun right?"

"What was your first guess?" She replied with a sheepish smile and a shrug.

"I suspected. I think a certain short and chubby chipmunk will be happy to hear that."

He didn't hear her exclamation of embarrassment as he fled out the chapel doors. Simon looked at his watch. It was ten to midnight. If he was going to make it in time he was really going to have to fly. With a renewed energy pushing him along, his feet pounding ground, he ran along the largely empty lamplight streets, his coat, flapping behind him like a cape snapping in the wind. This time he wasn't just going to catch a thief. He was going to catch Jeanette.

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><p>Sorry for the ridiculous wait just for this... I tried. I had to get past school and I've been writing my own story lately so I just have been working on this in pieces. They're are probably tons of typos and mess ups. Next chapter will be more fun I promise.<p> 


	12. The New Moon

I'm not dead! Woo! So yeah this is shorter because I wanted a cliff hanger. So uh yeah... sorry! I promised I would finish this and I will! Not much left!

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><p>Simon could have out ran Jesse Owens in his mad dash to Miller Manor. He burst through the doors, startling a few partygoers, one dropping their glass, and he hastily apologized.<p>

"Detective!" A familiar butler said. "You're awfully late."

"One can only hope that I'm right on time. Have you seen a short chubby chipmunk in a police uniform? Possibly eating something?"

"If you're referring to Theodore he is in the ballroom by the buffet."

"Thank you!" Simon hurried down the hallway before pausing. "Have you by chance seen Jeanette?"

"Miss Jeanette?" The butler frowned in thought. "No not recently. Why?"

"No reason," Simon mumbled. He strode through the hallway and noticed as he squeezed himself into the large ballroom that a majority of people had been crammed into the room. As if the whole party had congregated in this one spot.

He searched the buffet line, instantly spotting Theodore who had his plate stacked in a tower of food that wobbled uncertainly, ready to topple.

"Theodore!" Simon called, running over, startling the poor chipmunk and the contents of his plate went up into the air all at once with cakes, tarts, and mini quiches raining back down with splats.

"Simon!" Theodore cried in surprise, looking down at the splattered food dejectedly before looking back at Simon. "Where have you been?"

"Why is everyone gathered in the ballroom?" Simon asked breathlessly, ignoring Theodore's question.

"Brittany said she had an announcement and called everyone here."

Simon paled. "Everyone?"

"Looks like it why?"

Before Simon could explain Brittany strode over, bedazzled and stunning as ever. A pouting Alvin followed after her, not looking all too happy that all this attention was for her and not for him.

"There you are!" She exclaimed. "Some help you were protecting my precious. No matter. Everything is fine. You can stay. I'm about to make an announce-"

"I'm afraid I don't have the time," Simon said, looking hurriedly around. There was no sign of Jeanette in the room. He dashed out of the ballroom.

"What's the matter Simon?" Theodore called, following.

"Is there something wrong with my jewel?" Brittany cried as she and Alvin chased after the detective.

Simon skidded across the polished floors almost sliding right into a wall as he rounded the corner. The doors to the jewel were bare, with no one there.

_'The guards left their post too?'_ Simon thought, horrified as he swung the doors open into the dark room.

It was really terribly easy. Jeanette didn't expect it to be so easy. She couldn't believe her luck when Miss Miller called everyone away, even insisting that the cops stationed to protect her precious gem come. Despite that it didn't make it any easier for her to do the job. Her hands shook violent and she was afraid that the sound of her chattering teeth could be heard throughout the whole mansion. She was doing something bad and that overwhelming guilt ate away at her as she crept into the room.

The moon was dark and the only light came from the alexandrite and the lights that shone on it. The room was eerily silent and even the night outside the windows seemed frozen like it was holding its breath in anticipation. The night had long since turned into the sole spectator of her deeds.

Her hands shook as she approached the case, part of her wanting to turn heel and run back rather than betray her mistress. She wasn't entirely betraying her mistress. This was for the best and in the end all would be all. Jeanette was certain of this. _'But you're betraying Simon,'_ her thoughts reminded her. She froze in front of the case, seized by another surge of guilt and despair, paired with another feeling that she couldn't ignore. Suddenly she couldn't the bespectacled chipmunk out of her mind

The red jewel sparkled wickedly in her green eyes, daring her to make a move and reminding her of her task at hand. There was no turning back now. The time to turn back had long since passed.

With sudden conviction, but with still shivering hands that were beginning to sweat in her black gloves she slowly pulled out a small metal device. An ingenious device actually, intended for this exact heist. It was a simple metal handle with a blade that could split a strand of hair let along a pane of glass. Her glasses were beginning to slide off her nose as she cut into the glass as precisely as her hands would allow. It seemed like was ages when she finished cutting a square for her hand to fit through.

She glanced around, adjusted her black face cover, and reached in. Her heart leapt in excitement and guilt as her fingers closed around the jewel. She still couldn't believe this was going so easily and yet still part of her wanted to forget the whole thing and run away.

_'Too late for that,'_ she reminded herself somberly. However, as she pulled the jewel out there was a sudden commotion outside that made her turn toward the doors. Somehow she knew exactly who was coming and she supposed she almost expected it. She blushed in shame and that other emotion that made her cheeks hot as the doors flung open to reveal a breathless and determined Simon.

Jeanette was already there, the jewel in her little gloved hands, and her wide green eyes met his blue ones and he could see her panic and fear from behind her glasses. She was dressed all and black again.

"Thief!" Brittany screeched as she came up behind Simon.

"Catch her!" Alvin said, lunging forward.

"Wait!" Simon shouted, holding Alvin back. Jeanette ran behind the pedestal, alexandrite clutched tight to her. Simon approached her slowly and she tensed up, like a cat ready to spring at a moments notice.

"Jea-" He began, but suddenly she lifted her the gem overhead, like she were displaying it to the heavens. Her messy hair had fallen out of the hood and over her face, obscuring her expressive eyes.

"Give me back my jewel!" Brittany demanded.

"Drop the gem thief!" Alvin said.

"Drop the gem… Miss," Theodore said, more politely than necessary. He leveled a gun at her halfheartedly.

"Put that away," Simon said to Theodore, suddenly scared for Jeanette and interested in her motives. She didn't seem like she was trying to run away. It seemed like she had set a stage for something. Something big. She wasn't stealing this for her benefit so what was her motive?

"Simon," she said, low and quiet. Her emerald eyes met him, filled with doubt, regret and fear. "I'm sorry." Jeanette bent her arm holding the jewel back, as if making to dash it to the floor.

"No!" Brittany cried. Too late. Jeanette swung her hand down hard, the gem flying from her hand. The gem crashed into the floor and exploded into a shower of dim shards the scattered across the floor. The brilliant alexandrite was gone in a shower broken pieces.

Brittany and Theodore gasped and Alvin cried out but Simon… had a sudden epiphany.

_'I understand now!' _

He understood Jeanette perfectly.

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><p>Just a hint: Gems shouldn't break.<p> 


	13. The Thief Captured

Tah-da! Chapter 13 is here! Told you it would be longer!

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><p>"M-my alexandrite! It shattered!" Brittany exclaimed, as dull pieces of the jewel skittered across the shiny floor like water on a hot pan. A walnut sized piece thunked against Simon's shoe.<p>

"The gem is destroyed!" Theodore cried.

"No this isn't a gem," Simon said calmly. He picked up the piece by his foot. "For one thing alexandrite, or any gem, won't shatter like this. And another thing," he held the piece up. It was still a deep maroon color that instead of the brilliant sparkle it had when it was in the lights was now dull and lusterless. "Alexandrite changes color depending on the light. This hasn't changed at all."

"B-but," Brittany stammered, looking gob smacked.

"This is nothing more than a perfectly cut piece of glass. A flawless fake." Simon threw it the floor. _'So this is what Jeanette was trying to show!'_ He thought.

"Then Miss Miller has been fooling everyone!" Theodore exclaimed.

"N-no! That's-!"

"That's right!" Jeanette shouted, her voice loud and angry to the point it almost . "The alexandrite is a fake! But Brittany Miller is not the one who has been fooling everyone. Someone else has been fooling everyone including her!"

"W-what?" Brittany said.

"Your fiancé is the the one that took your alexandrite and has been deceiving you!" Jeanette jabbed a finger at the red-capped chipmunk that had been slowly backing away.

"Alvin?!" Brittany cried out in horror, turning to the shocked chipmunk.

"N-no!" Alvin stuttered. "That isn't…"

"Aaaaallllllviiiiiinnnn!" Brittany raged, stomping after him.

"Whoaa!" Alvin took off down the hall with ginger haired chipmunk in hot pursuit.

Simon was about to give chase too when he stopped himself and focused on Jeanette. To his surprise she was also prepared to give chase. He could see her frantic and worried look behind her glasses. Clearly she wasn't prepared to let the thief go and neither was Simon. The two of them gave chase, Theodore at their side.

"I don't get it!" Theodore said, as they followed the shrieking and shouting sound of Brittany hunting down Alvin.

"What is there to get?" Simon asked. "Alvin is the real thief of the alexandrite."

"But why?"

_'That was a good point,'_ Simon thought. '_Why would he steal it and then create a fake one to fool Brittany? Geez every time I find an answer a whole bunch of whys always show up.' _

"Gotcha!" Brittany cried out in triumph. Simon, Jeanette and Theodore rounded a corner and burst through a thrown open door, and Simon noticed that he was in a part of the mansion that he hadn't been in before. The room had a large royal looking bed with luxurious red and pictures of Alvin from numerous magazines and photos all over the room. In the middle of the room was a flailing Alvin who had been pinned down by a very livid Brittany who held him by the collar and shook him like a rag doll.

"Alvin you idiot!" She shouted. "What did you think you were doing? Give me back my precious jewel."

"Wait Brittany I can explai-gah!" Alvin began but was cut off as his collar choked him.

"I don't want an explanation! I want my alexandrite!"

"Alexandrite this! Alexandrite that!" Alvin suddenly shouted right back at her and shoved her off. "It's always about that stupid gem or whatever it is you obsess over! Why don't you try It is an injustice! Why don't you focus and obsess over me sometimes?!"

Brittany looked taken aback like Alvin has slapped her with his cap. Simon himself couldn't believe it but then a knowing smile broke out on his face.

Alvin got up from the floor, stomped over to a table with a rather hefty looking locked box. He took a key out from under his hat and unlocked it.

The room was still dark, with no lights turned on, and even so the item he unearthed from the box glittered like no other; a gem the size of an egg that sparkled even in the dark. Rather than being a deep maroon it was a deep dark green, a color that Simon thought was reminiscent of Jeanette's eyes. He found it much more stunning and precious than the bloody color it took in the light.

"Here have your alexandrite! I was going to return it anyway! I was going to give it to you after that thief stole it!" He dropped it into Brittany's hands.

"I don't…" Brittany started, looking from her gem to Alvin and back again.

"I do," Simon said. "He planned on hiding the real gem and if the thief came and stole it he would proudly return the real one to you saying I found it." He glanced at the shamefaced Alvin. "There also must have been some personal reason as well. Seeing as you were upset over her paying more attention to the alexandrite. Am I right?"

"Yeah you are," Alvin grumbled. "You can go ahead and arrest me or whatever."

Without warning Brittany shot a hand out and swiftly chopped Alvin on the head. "Alvin you dunce!" She cried.

"What?"

"Do you know what I was going to announce tonight? Not only was I showing off my wonderful jewel I was going to announce the day of our wedding!"

"W-wedding?!" Alvin shouted, his face turning red.

"That's right! I was tired of all this running in circles! I really do like you Alvin! I was going to surprise you!"

"Well why didn't you tell me?" He shouted.

"Then it wouldn't have been a surprise!" She shouted back.

"You don't surprise someone with a wedding!"

"Sure I can! I just did!"

The two continued bickering, the gem forgotten in Brittany's hands. Simon and Theodore stood, disbelieving, as they watched the couple argue.

"So… that's it?" Theodore asked. "We just let it go?"

"I suppose…" Simon started, but then a chill went up his spine and he whirled to his left. Jeanette was gone.

* * *

><p><em>'Gotta get out! Gotta go!'<em> Jeanette thought frantically, as she ran in the dimly lit empty hallway, her steps clicking distinctly on the tile. _'Can't let him catch me!' _Her job may have been done but she still couldn't afford for Simon to catch her. She still had a job to do. _'Sorry Ellie but I can't keep that promise.'_ She had to keep going. For the sake of others like her. Like her father. She had to be their thief. Yet she felt that she wanted to stop but couldn't, like an addiction. Because of that Simon couldn't be allowed to catch her.

That and she couldn't face Simon. Of course she couldn't because if he saw her he would arrest her. Not only that though but the look she saw on his face when he saw her with the gem… it scared her to see that look again. It made her feel like he was rending her heart in two. No she couldn't face him ever again. Not with these feelings…

"Jeanette!" The sound rang loud and strong, making her heart leap and in fear. She didn't have to look behind her to know that Simon was barreling down the hall after her and without a thought she leapt into a sprint.

Unfortunately for Jeanette old habits die hard. She ran into a part of the hallway with a long elegant hall rug where a part of it had bunched up. Her shoe immediately caught the rug and she went sprawling onto the floor with a thud her glasses flying off her face and clattering onto the floor. She scrambled to get back up but it was too late. Without warning Simon came down on top of her and she flailed like a pinned butterfly with its wings fluttering in panic. _'No! No!'_ She thought in horror.

"Jeanette stop!" Simon said, wrestling with her hands as he attempted to grip the black mask over her head. With a flourish he wrenched it off her face and threw it aside, her façade gone.

"Let me go Simon! Please!" She cried, tears welling in eyes, as she wrenched her hands away and covered her face.

"I'm not going to let you go!" He shouted.

"Please…" She sobbed. This was horrible. He caught her. He was going to arrest her like the good detective he was. He hated her. He despised the disgusting thief she was. She didn't want to see his face, didn't want to see the look of disapproval in his stunning blue eyes.

"Jeanette." This time his voice was a soothing whisper and sounded desperate and his grip on her relaxed. "Move your hands."

"No."

"Jeanette," he said firmer but still kind.

"No! I can't let you catch me! Absolutely not!"

"Let me catch you Jeanette."

"No…" She murmured but when his hands gripped the ones that hid her face she let him remove them from her face. Despite her tear obscured eyes and her poor vision without her glasses she could see Simon's face, hovering above her. It wasn't disapproval she saw but to her amazement she saw his jaw set in determination and his eyes filled with a kind affection that sent her heart thumping and her face blushing despite herself.

"Let me catch you Jeanette. Let me put an end to the Noble Thief."

"B-but…"

"You don't need to keep doing this. I know. You're father wouldn't want you to do this." Jeanette's heart ached at that but his words rang with truth that soothed her like an aloe.

"B-but they need me," she said. "Those that are cheated and stolen from have no one to protect them. I have to keep doing this!"

"Do you really want to keep doing this?" He whispered. "You don't have to protect them like this. There are better ways."

It was like he could see right through her defenses and see the shy and nervous wreck that she was on the inside. He knew her reasons and he knew her fears. What else could he see in her heart?

"Trust me! I can protect them," he said.

"B-but," she protested weakly.

"It's my job Jeanette. I do my job to protect the people the police can't always can't. Why do you think I became a detective instead of a cop?" He gave a small smile.

"B-but why? Don't y-you hate me!" She wiped at her wet cheeks. "Don't you hate a criminal like me?"

Simon's face contorted in shock and surprise and then melted into warm smile that turned Jeanette's insides to jelly.

"You do it for a good cause right? You help return the things those have lost. Jeanette you can't possibly have a bad bone in your body."

"You don't hate me then?" Jeanette asked, wanting him desperately to answer the question.

Then to her surprise his face flushed pink and his eyes stared directly at her as if he were trying to determine something for himself. He opened his mouth to say something and then shut it as if he couldn't find the right words to say.

"Actually…" He said finally, his voice cracking in nervousness. "It might be rather the opposite."

That sent her mind into a tizzy as she tried to form another question. "A-are you arrest going… I mean are you g-going t-to arrest me?" That wasn't all she wanted to ask but that was all she could manage.

Simon shook his head and slowly got up. He took her by the hand and pulled her up. "I'm not going to arrest you but Jeanette, please. You don't have to be a martyr anymore." He bent down to pick up her round spectacles from the floor. He carefully, with hands shaking, slid the glasses on her face. "Let me capture you. Let me capture the Noble Thief."

* * *

><p>But wait there is more! There is going to be one more chapter after this. It will be short but it will resolve everything. I thought I should end it here for now though.<p> 


	14. Epilogue

What am I even doing? *flail* I had this just sitting in a file. I guess I was hoping it would be like wine where it would get better the longer it sat there but no I'm still not happy with this end but it just isn't getting any better. Off you go!

* * *

><p>Simon reclined into the sofa, staring at the obscene amount of cash on his coffee table in front of him. He also regarded a pink colored invite, inviting him to the wedding of Alvin and Brittany. As to how Alvin managed to put his name first on the invite in competition with Brittany was a mystery.<p>

"I can only imagine the wedding…" He groaned as he dropped the letter on the table with his reward. He didn't actually count the bills. Brittany just sort of shoved it into his hands and thanked him enthusiastically.

Honestly, he couldn't care less if he got paid for his job or not, because as far as he could tell he didn't do his job. Jeanette, in a sense, got away a week ago. After putting her glasses on and asking her to stop being the Nobel Thief, in a very roundabout way. Her cheeks had turned red like two blushing apples as Simon suddenly found his face leaning closer and closer to her face, to her lips when suddenly it seemed like the whole mansion was screaming his name.

"Brittany!" Jeanette had exclaimed. "I can't let her see me! She can't know that I…"

"But…" Simon said, his grip tight on her tiny hands. He had known she never wanted Brittany to find out, and although he wanted nothing more than to hold her to him and never let her run off again he turned loose her hands. "Go!" He whispered. "Go! Hurry and go! But remember… I caught you. Fair and square. If you go around playing Robin Hood again I will capture you and this time I will handcuff you to myself!" He gave a small joking smile.

"T-thank you Simon. I won't. I promise." Jeanette said, and quick as lightning kissed his cheek, so light and faint he almost didn't feel it. Just as quick and lightly, she had fled down the hall and vanished. His heart froze, as did the rest of him, and he sat there for a second before falling over in disbelief.

Later, after collecting himself, he had to explain to the others that the thief had gotten away by his… carelessness. However, he told them that he believed that the Nobel Thief would not appear again. When pressed for what happened Simon refused to say.

However, his heart still ached, as he never saw Jeanette again and he knew that she avoided him. Occasionally he would glance outside to see if he could see a brown haired short figure in blue come down the street but there was no sign of her.

He sighed heavily again. Maybe it was for the best. If Jeanette was not coming to see him then perhaps that peck on the cheek really meant nothing to her. If he could forget the dull pain and longing in his heart maybe he could…

His dismal thoughts were interrupted abruptly at a loud knock at the door. Followed by the sound of rapid footsteps and to his surprise and elation a high-pitched squeak and thud. Simon leapt up from his slump and scrambled to the front door and flung it open.

At his feet, placed neatly on the doorstep was a small basket brimming with muffins and tied neatly with a purple ribbon. More importantly, at the bottom of his front steps lay a chipmunk, splayed on the ground, with glasses crooked and almost falling off one ear. Her shoe was caught on her floppy socks. Again.

"Are you ok?" Simon exclaimed, coming down the steps, both concerned and excited.

"I'm… fine. Just a little… embarrassed," Jeanette said picking herself up and adjusting her spectacles, her face red and shamefaced. Simon smiled, feeling like he was in the clouds just by seeing her again, and offered her his hand. Shyly casting her eyes away she tentatively took his hand.

"That's what you get for trying to take off in such a hurry. Why were you running?" Simon said, feeling hurt. Did she not want to see him?

"I-I wasn't sure how to face you… you know as Jeanette. Not the Nobel Thief. I wanted to give you a gift as a thank you for what you've done and as an apology for what I have done. I have decided not to be a thief anymore…" She clasped her hands behind her and fidgeted about, face pink. "I-I would like to protect people in a more honest way. Like you said."

"That's good," Simon grinned.

"A-a-and…" Her cheeks turned crimson. "I can't do it alone so I thought I m-might need… a detective." She looked up at him through her glasses, eyes pleading and soft. "I-I was hoping I could maybe you could…" Her words died out as she stared down at the concrete.

Simon was gobsmacked and he flushed red scarcely believing what he was hearing. "Y-you want to work with me?" He asked, not sure if understood right.

"My job with Miss Brittany is not as demanding as you might think and I do have a lot of free time. Eleanor and I were found out that we had been masquerading as nuns so I need something to do in my spare time… if it's n-not t-too m-much to ask…"

Simon could have thrown his arms around her, picked her up and spun her around but checked himself. His face broke out into such a grin that he thought his face would split. He realized, looking in to Jeanette's eyes that he had not only caught a thief but he had caught something much more, at least he desperately hoped he had. This bespectacled detective had captured the heart of a thief, and that bespectacled thief had stolen the heart of a detective.

* * *

><p>DONE. ;_; I know it's short... and lame.<p> 


End file.
